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Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Naperville, IL – Today Nicor Gas announced that it will begin the next phase of work at the former Aurora manufactured gas plant (MGP) site at the end of this month. The former MGP site is located at 408 and 424 South River Street in Aurora.
This next phase of the work will take approximately four months to complete and will help to further evaluate the extent of the MGP impact in the soil and bedrock beneath Nicor's property at Hurd's Island and Steck Park. The work will also include subsurface and sediment sampling in the Fox River between Hurd's Island and Nicor Gas' River Street facility as well as farther downstream to the southern tip of Hurd's Island.
In order to explore subsurface conditions under the river, two temporary dams will be installed to help redirect the flow of the river around the eastern side of Hurd's Island. The upstream cofferdam will extend from Steck Park to the northern tip of Hurd's Island at North Avenue. A temporary barricade dam will extend from the southern portion of Hurd's Island North along the southern end of the Burlington Northern Railroad Bridge to the Fox Valley Park District property on the west side of the river to prevent backflow into the work area. In addition, two contingency cofferdams may be installed farther south along the west branch of the Fox River if additional exploration is needed. This work is being conducted with the oversight and approval of state and local agencies. Work in the river is scheduled to begin in January 2008 upon receipt of all necessary permits.
Nicor Gas worked with local officials to implement this plan with minimal disruptions to the surrounding areas. Most of the work is scheduled to take place during the winter months (December – March) when outdoor activities at these locations are minimal.
During the 1800s and early 1900s, gas was produced from coal and oil at manufactured gas plants to provide fuel for towns and cities across the United States. It is estimated that during the MGP era there were up to 3,000 manufactured gas plants in operation throughout the United States. To manufacture the fuel, coal was heated in large brick ovens. As the coal was heated, manufactured gas was produced, filtered, and stored in tanks. The gas was then used as fuel throughout a community.
Manufactured gas production declined as a network of natural gas pipelines were built across the country. As natural gas became widely available, many MGPs, such as the one in Aurora, were abandoned and eventually demolished, in the process of which below-ground receptacles containing certain byproducts, including coal tar, were often left in place and buried.
Accordingly, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been working with utilities across the country since the early 1990s to remediate sites. Nicor Gas is currently working with the Illinois EPA on cleaning up various sites in Illinois, including the Aurora site.
For more information on the Aurora MGP site, visit the Aurora Public Library located at 1 E. Benton Street. The library maintains a collection of documents regarding this project, including the Supplemental Site Investigation Event V Work Plan.
Nicor Gas is one of the nation's largest gas distribution companies. Owned by Nicor Inc. (NYSE: GAS) a holding company, Nicor Gas has provided safe and reliable natural gas services for over 50 years. The Company serves two million customers in a service territory that encompasses most of the northern third of Illinois, excluding the city of Chicago. | 
