Rural Heyworth mobile home park’s water said to be contaminated with E. coli

Posted on August 30, 2017

 

Tap water
The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency says the water supply at Country Lane Mobile Home Park in rural Heyworth is contaminated with E. coli. The mobile home park has been under a boil order for three months, and residents have to drink bottled water. (Photo by Eric Stock/WJBC)

 

By Howard Packowitz

BLOOMINGTON – The Illinois Environment Protection Agency is seeking a court order against the owners of a rural Heyworth mobile home park to immediately clean up E. coli contamination in its water supply.

The IEPA is also citing the owners of Country Lane Mobile Home Park, John and Kelly Theobald, for several violations of Illinois Pollution Control Board regulations and the Illinois Environmental Protection Act.

The IEPA said Country Lane supplies water to approximately 30 homes, and the department first became concerned about bacteria contamination in the water supply after taking routine samples in May and again in June.

Boil order notices were issued to residents in May, and on June 27, the IEPA said it issued a violation notice demanding the Theobald’s install chlorination equipment and provide routine reports to the state on the operation of its water supply.

Last Tuesday and Thursday, the agency received new monitoring data indicating the presence of E. coli in Country Lane’s water supply.

The IEPA is requesting the Illinois Attorney General obtain a court order requiring Country Lane to continue distributing bottled water to residents until the source of the bacterial contamination is found and the bacteria is removed.

IEPA is also demanding a continuation of the now three-month old boil order, and continuous chlorination of the water supply.

Howard Packowitz can be reached at [email protected]

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