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June 29, 2007
Naperville, IL – Nicor Gas on July 2 begins the next phase of work at the former manufactured gas plant (MGP) site underneath and surrounding its facility at 408 S. River Street in Aurora.
This phase of the project will encompass the application of a bank stabilization wall, which consists of a blanket of rocks called “rip-rap,” adjacent to the facility. The installation of rip-rap will provide stability to the steep bank wall and will serve as a protective barrier preventing the erosion of riverbank soils. This phase of work is anticipated to be completed in August.
During the 1800s, natural gas was produced at manufactured gas plants from oil and coal to provide fuel to 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 and oil were heated in large brick ovens. As the coal and oil were heated, gas was produced and filtered from the ovens 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 was 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 ComEd and 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 a complete Site Investigation Work Plan.
The next phase of this project will begin in the fall of this year and will include evaluating conditions under the Fox River and determining the boundaries of any hydrocarbon byproducts.
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. | 
