Fears over Foxconn site runoff aired at N. IL hearing

Heavy rains as we speak make this Foxconn-related story more timely, and there's still all of August to get through. 

I've noted in earlier posts here and here, and here - - 

You may recall that just a few days ago [in mid-March] Illinois officials expressed concerns that the Foxconn development, with its wetlands filling and eased regulatory climate, would lead to flooding by the already flood-prone Des Plaines River. 

Lake County, IL is documenting negative environmental impacts from Foxconn project construction and the more-brown-than-green greenlight Wisconsin under Walker gave the project, the Chicago Tribune is reporting.

- -  that Illinois communities downstream from the Foxconn site are concerned about runoff from the company's construction site in flood-prone Racine County:

Racine County is one of seven counties in the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission, (SEWRPC), and it said in a lengthy 2015 report that flooding was a major hazard in Racine County...

Today the local Illnois Congressman held a hearing and the testimony was unnerving: 

[Illinois US Rep.] Schneider: Lake County residents, businesses are ‘underwater literally’ because of Foxconn development 

Schneider, D-Deerfield, has been critical of the way the Wisconsin government handled the Foxconn development in Pleasant Prairie, particularly its waiver of certain environmental reviews. He said the approach is “emblematic” of how environmental regulations are being pushed aside more generally. 

“Wisconsin taxpayers may be paying the price for the (Wisconsin Gov. Scott) Walker administration’s exorbitant economic incentives, but it is Illinois residents and small businesses who will be underwater — literally — due to our neighboring state’s irresponsible decision to ignore environmental reviews,” Schneider said. 

After all, this was what the site looked like 10 months ago, so you can't say Illinois business owners and residents not far from the project shouldn't be concerned about the development and the special, wetland-filling waivers Wisconsin officials gave Foxconn at Walker's behest.

Wetlands being filled in, silt spilling into the Des Plaines River due to Foxconn development, Lake County study finds

I'll be adding this post to a Foxconn archive which I have maintained for more than two years.