Bright orange paint chips laced with lead have been turning up in a culvert that drains into the Fox River in St. Charles, and tests show they are heavily contaminated. City officials say the material, collected by a local ecologist, came back at roughly 18% lead by weight and was traced to an aging Union Pacific railroad overpass near Illinois Route 31. The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency has issued a violation notice to Union Pacific and given the railroad 45 days to submit a mitigation and cleanup plan.
How the flakes were found
At a May 18 city meeting, local ecologist Steve Leffler told officials he had watched large orange paint chips peel off the old bridge and drop into a culvert that flows to the river, then decided to have the material tested. According to the Kane County Chronicle, Leffler said, "They were old, big pancake-seized pieces of paint," and lab results showed roughly 18% lead. He turned those findings over to city staff.
Why lead in the river matters
Lead is a potent toxin in aquatic environments. It tends to cling to sediments, where it can be absorbed by plankton and insect larvae and then work its way up the food chain to fish and birds. That kind of persistence means even a one-time shedding of lead-based paint can leave long-term ecological damage, according to the U.S. EPA.
What regulators ordered
City officials say the Illinois EPA has served Union Pacific with a violation and ordered the railroad to devise a mitigation plan, with 45 days to respond. The agency’s public notices pages outline how enforcement actions are posted and how the Illinois EPA can require cleanup and other remediation. If a company fails to comply, enforcement can be stepped up, according to the Illinois EPA.
Next steps for the river
The city says it is working with state officials while local conservation groups keep an eye on the riverfront for more peeling paint. The River Corridor Foundation, led by Leffler, focuses on shoreline and habitat projects in St. Charles and plans to stay involved as regulators evaluate Union Pacific’s mitigation proposal, according to the River Corridor Foundation.
City Administrator Heather McGuire told the council she had not received a response from Union Pacific as of the May 18 meeting. Officials say they intend to review any plan the railroad submits to the Illinois EPA.
