Please join us at the public meeting on May 8th at 6:30 pm at the UCSD Urbana plant, 1100 E. University Ave.
The Urbana Champaign Sanitary District (UCSD) is considering selling large amounts of water from its Urbana and Savoy sewage treatment plants to Cronus Chemical, a company proposing a $1.2 billion fertilizer plant in Tuscola, IL. UCSD is also exploring a water sale to Hallador Energy’s Sunrise Coal, the company that is trying to develop a new coal mine near Homer, IL.
UCSD’s water discharges, commonly referred to as “effluent,” now flow from the Urbana sewage treatment plant to the Salt Fork of the Vermilion River, and from the Savoy plant to Copper Slough and eventually, the Kaskaskia River. The water sales would change the flows in these streams significantly.
Much is at stake in this contemplated water sale including the health of our streams, the sustainability of our community water supply, and the health of our local economies. We do not believe the UCSD Board has considered the full ramifications of these sales. The District should not be rushing into contracts that promise our water to outside, water-intensive industries. The District is holding a public meeting on May 8th at the Urbana treatment plant. Please join us for a full, open and informed discussion.
Please spread the word to your friends and colleagues.
For more information, contact Kim Knowles: kknowles [at] prairierivers [dot]org
In the News: Treated-water sale to Tuscola plant on table (News-Gazette, April 4, 2013) (pdf)
