Videos of presentations at ISTC’s anniversary event provide a fascinating look at problems of pollution contamination in Illinois and how the Center contributed to the clean up. Links to the videos will be made available over the next two weeks as they become available.
ISTC Looks Back, and to the Future During Anniversary
VIDEO 3: Gary Miller, the center’s first assistant director, spoke about the center’s research program. Up to this day, the mandate of ISTC is to provide 1) research, 2) technical assistance, and 3) public information about hazardous materials and other contamination threats. Miller said over 30 years the center has funded well over 200 studies, all available online.
Large contaminated sites in Illinois, such as Waukegan Harbor, Lake Calumet and industrial sites near Rockford got a lot of attention in those first years. At that time a lot of work was necessary to establish the toxicity of contaminants present at those sites, including some of the earliest studies of PCBs in the environment.
Other important research focused on waste issues such as improved landfill design and modeling of groundwater contamination from landfills. The early years also produced a comprehensive inventory of Illinois landfills that is still in use today. He added that the center also helped pioneer remediation, stabilization, and clean-up techniques through demonstrations and analysis.
NEXT UP: Craig Colton, “Historical Hazards: Innovation and Application at the Center.”