Beloit Corporation

Rockton, Illinois
Winnebago County

The Beloit Corporation was a manufacturer of paper-making machines located in Rockton (Winnebago), Illinois. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have been discovered on-site and in nearby residential wells. To ensure the homeowners were not drinking contaminated water, carbon treatment units were installed in homes in the Blackhawk Acres Subdivision that had concentrations of trichloroethylene (TCE) exceeding drinking water standards. The Illinois EPA is assessing the impact of the Chemtool fire on the pump-and-treat system and plans to make repairs to the impacted components of the system.

Available Documents

Fact Sheet 1 - June 1992
Fact Sheet 2 - March 1994
Fact Sheet 3 - August 1994
Notice of Five Year Review - April 2013
Notice of Five Year Review Open House - June 2013
Notice of Five Year Review 2018.pdf
Notice of Five Year Review 2022

Groundwater Monitoring Well Sampling

Illinois EPA collected samples from groundwater monitoring wells located at the former Beloit Corporation Superfund site on June 25, 30, and July 14, 2021 following a fire at the Chemtool, Inc. facility, which is located on this Superfund site. 

Illinois EPA has confirmed the presence of elevated metals, including antimony, cadmium, chromium, and nickel, in some of the groundwater monitoring wells. As a result of elevated metals in the monitoring wells, initial private well sampling is being conducted near the monitoring wells to determine if any private drinking water wells have been impacted. 

As a precaution and at the direction of  the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) and the Winnebago County Health Department (WCHD), residents with private wells that live in the Blackhawk neighborhood adjacent to the Chemtool property are not recommended to use their private well water for drinking or cooking. Once results from the initial sampling of private wells are finalized, Illinois EPA, IDPH and WCHD will determine next steps if any additional sampling is needed. Below are the sample results from the Groundwater Monitoring Wells. Also see related news release.

Groundwater Monitoring Well Sampling Results

Groundwater Monitoring Well Sampling (21F1057): 06/25/2021
Groundwater Monitoring Well Sampling (21F1058): 06/25/2021
Groundwater Monitoring Well Sampling (21F1059): 06/25/2021
Groundwater Monitoring Well Sampling (21F1060): 06/25/2021
Groundwater Monitoring Well Sampling (21G0031): 06/30/2021
Groundwater Monitoring Well Sampling (21G0500): 07/14/2021
Groundwater Monitoring Well Sampling (21G0532): 07/14/2021
Groundwater Monitoring Well Sampling (21G0535): 07/14/2021

Private Well Sampling

On July 22, 2021, the Illinois EPA collected samples from 12 private wells near the groundwater monitoring wells where elevated metals were detected. The samples were analyzed for VOCs, semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs), and metals. Based on these sample results, there has been no contamination of private wells with the metals identified at the Superfund site. There were no detections of antimony, cadmium, chromium and nickel (which were identified in monitoring wells) in any of the residential wells sampled. 

One private well sample exceeded the State's Groundwater Quality Standards (GWQS) for lead. The same private well also had a detection of copper that exceeded the health-based guidelines. Tetrachloroethylene (a VOC) was also detected in two other private wells, but the concentrations were below the GWQS and less than IDPH health screening values. Based on the location of one of the wells, it is not expected to be related to the Beloit Corporation Superfund site. 

IDPH has contacted the impacted well owners and will provide a detailed interpretation of the results, including potential health impacts and appropriate mitigations, for the impacted private well owners. Owners who have not been contacted by IDPH are unaffected but will also receive a summary of their results. See related News Release.

Private Well Sampling Results

Contact

For more information, please contact the Illinois EPA Office of Community Relations. Additional documents not available on this webpage may be obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request or through IEPA Document Explorer.