The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has ended an order with Illinois American Water to monitor the safety of its drinking water in Cahokia Heights after it continued to find the water safe for the past two years.
Illinois American Water serves approximately 20% of the Metro East city’s residents in the former towns of Alorton and Centreville, where some of the worst stormwater and sewage problems remain.
“This order was, and still is, an important step in protecting the health of Cahokia Heights residents and the safety of their drinking water,” Debra Shore, the EPA’s regional administrator, said in a statement. “EPA continues to work toward resolving the remaining issues affecting the Cahokia Heights community.”
While the EPA said it had found no evidence of contaminationin August 2021 when it announced the order, the federal agency discovered “serious problems that could affect drinking-water safety, especially during sewer overflows.”
The residents of what used to be Centreville have long dealt with standing water when there is heavy rain and a faulty sewage system that regularly backs up.
A representative of Illinois American Water said that the termination of the EPA order is a good sign and that the company will continue to test the water for possible contaminants.
“It reaffirms and validates that the drinking water is safe to drink, and that the drinking water system is high quality and meets the needs of the community,” said Terry Mackin, a spokesman for the company.
Nefertiti DiCosmo, EPA’s regional water enforcement branch manager, said the agency will continue to track compliance as it sees fit.
Over the past two years, DiCosmo said the EPA required Illinois American Water to improve infrastructure, monitor water pressure and test for bacteria after sewer overflows.
The drinking water provider for the other 80%, the City of Cahokia Heights, remains under the order, which requires the city to test and complete its improvement projects.
While the EPA also did not find contamination in this water, the city has work to do to meet all the order requirements, DiCosmo said.
Mayor Curtis McCall Sr. said those infrastructure projects include many of the city’s water towers. He said he expects to complete the order’s requirements by February.
“There has been tremendous progress made in the last year,” McCall said.
Lawyers who represent residents of Cahokia Heights in two federal lawsuits against the city and its former water provider, Commonfields of Cahokia, could not immediately be reached for comment Tuesday.
