Pair charged in South Elgin chemical dump
Two Elburn men face prison time and a fine of up to $25,000 on charges they dumped chemicals in a South Elgin storm sewer, which fed into a creek, killing dozens of fish and threatening the Fox River.
Yu Tan Zheng, 34, and An Hong, 32, both of the 800 block of Conley Drive, face felony and misdemeanor charges of water pollution in connection with the May 15 incident, authorities said.
Attorney General Lisa Madigan on Friday announced the charges, which carry up to three years in prison and a maximum $25,000 fine.
A Kane County grand jury returned an indictment against Zheng, who is chief executive officer at the South Elgin-based D & Y Trade, and Hong, an employee, and the company itself.
Since the May 15 incident, South Elgin officials moved to shut down the business in the 600 block of Sundown Road because it was operating without an occupancy permit.
Last month, a resident watching carp spawn in a creek near his South Elgin home saw large white bubbles floating down the creek. He called police, who traced the flow to an industrial park in South Elgin.
There, according to a South Elgin police report, officers saw several semitrailers parked next to each other, creating "an artificial wall."
The police detained two men, one of whom was seen pouring a liquid from a blue 55-gallon drum into a storm sewer, police have said.
South Elgin firefighters worked to contain the bubbles and keep them from entering the Fox River. However, dozens of fish and other wildlife died almost instantly.
A phone message left with D & Y manager John Zheng Friday was not immediately returned. In a brief phone interview last month, Zheng said the substance was "a soap" and the arrest was a "misunderstanding."
It was not immediately clear whether John Zheng and Yu Tan Zheng are the same person.
A police report also indicated that Hong was in the United States on a Chinese visa.
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources said the substance was alkylbenzene sulfonic acid anionic surfactant, which commonly used in laundry detergent products.
Madigan's office described it as an industrial cleaner that is "toxic to fish and slow to biodegrade."
She said in a prepared statement Friday that authorities "will move swiftly to hold this company and these individuals accountable for violating the criminal environmental laws."
The pair are due in Kane County Court on July 9.
Madigan's office coordinated an investigation by South Elgin police and fire departments, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. EPA, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Coast Guard.
<div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Stories</h2> <ul class="links"> <li><a href="/story/?id=382522">South Elgin shuts down business linked to illegal river dumping <span class="date">[05/21/10]</span></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=381629">Report: Men tried to hide South Elgin chemical dump <span class="date">[05/18/10]</span></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=381435">Probe continues into chemical dumping in S. Elgin creek <span class="date">[05/17/10]</span></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=381165">Cops: Toxic chemicals dumped into Fox River killing fish, wildlife <span class="date">[05/16/10]</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>