EPA testing for methane at Hanover Park homes

Hanover Park resident Marc Fawcett had unexpected visitors Wednesday -- and they weren't early Thanksgiving guests.

Representatives from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency came to his door to measure for methane gas.

"It was a little bit disconcerting, given we're so close," Fawcett said, in reference to the former Mallard Lake landfill that looms over his neighborhood.

The EPA is canvassing an area near the southwest border of the landfill because tests show that high levels of methane gas are migrating off-site. The gas was detected about 40 feet below ground.

Methane is a colorless, odorless gas, generated in landfills by decomposing garbage. It can explode when concentrated in confined spaces, hence the EPA's concern.

The agency started checking homes and basements Saturday, and as of Wednesday, it had visited more than 30.

So far, none of the properties showed hazardous levels of methane, but in some cases, officials are leaving detection devices with residents.

The EPA will continue contacting homeowners on Friday and early next week.

"We apologize for bothering people on a holiday weekend, but on the good side, far more people are home to answer the door and let us come in and take a quick reading," EPA spokesman Mick Hans said.

Fawcett, who lives on Whitney Road, said the visit was "reassuring."

"I thought the EPA was concerned with bigger things," he said.

Nearby neighbor Jennifer Frechmann was also caught off guard when investigators appeared near her house with gas-measuring devices on Saturday.

"It was a big surprise," said Frechmann, cradling her 13-day-old infant, Gabriella.

She took the events in stride.

"I'm not worried. I've lived in the neighborhood for a while," Frechmann said.

BFI Industries, which operates the former landfill, and the DuPage County Forest Preserve District, which owns the site, have said they're working with the EPA on the problem.

In addition to checking homes, the priority for investigators is to uncover how the gas is leaking and correct it.

Mallard Lake has a troubled history of pollution. Residents south of the dump are suing the forest preserve and BFI, stating that a dangerous chemical leaked from the landfill into their wells, a claim the two entities dispute.