Timeline of events in Cahokia Heights residents’ fight to fix sewage, flooding issues
For decades, residents in at least 54 homes in a 4.29 square-mile area of the former city of Centreville have struggled with flash flooding and raw sewage in yards and homes that does not drain away.
Here is a timeline of recent developments in the residents’ fight to fix the issues:
Feb, 20, 2020: The Belleville News-Democrat publishes an in-depth article on the impact of decades of flooding and infrastructure failure on the residents of northern Centreville and the local, state and federal governments’ failure to fix the problems.
June 5, 2020: Centreville residents Cornelius Bennett and Earlie Fuse file a lawsuit against the city of Centreville, water utility company Commonfields of Cahokia and several elected officials and employees, including: then-Mayor Marius “Mark” Jackson, then-Township Supervisor Curtis McCall Sr., former city manager for Alorton and Centreville Lamar Gentry, and Commonfields superintendent Dennis Traiteur. Bennett and Fuse ask the court to stop the defendants from depositing or diverting stormwater onto their properties and to replace some of the pump or lift stations within 30 days. The suit also asks for the installation of new sewer lines where needed as well as a monitor to make sure the changes are being made.
Nov, 3, 2020: Voters in Cahokia, Alorton and Centreville approve a proposal to merge their towns to create a new city called “Cahokia Heights.”
Feb. 11, 2021: Failing infrastructure in Centreville gains national media attention with an article in the Guardian.
March 2, 2021: Cahokia, Alorton and Centreville apply for a $22 million federal “BRIC” grant, or Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities, through the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Local leaders hope it will fix the issues in Centreville. U.S. Sens. Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin, both Democrats from Illinois, send a letter to FEMA urging federal officials to approve the application.
March 8, 2021: Gov. J.B. Pritzker pledges his administration’s support for the $22 million federal BRIC grant.
March 23, 2021: The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency awards a $919,869 grant to HeartLands Conservancy, a Belleville-based organization, with the hope of reducing flooding and sewage issues in Centreville, Alorton and Cahokia. The grant is part of the Prairie du Pont watershed plan aimed at reducing stormwater runoff, fixing minor sewage system infrastructure and using the best practices for managing rainfall.
April 6, 2021: Residents of the Cahokia, Alorton and Centreville formally vote to disband Commonfields of Cahokia, the water and sewage district that served 7,000 customers in the three towns. Dissolving Commonfields was one of the many phases of the “Better Together” plan to unite Alorton, Centreville and Cahokia into Cahokia Heights.
April 14, 2021: Newly elected Cahokia Heights Mayor Curtis McCall Sr. pledges to fix the issues in Centreville. McCall says the $22 million federal BRIC grant will be key.
May 6, 2021: Curtis McCall Sr. is sworn in, and the Cahokia Heights merger becomes official.
July 2021: Cahokia Heights learns it will not receive the $22 million federal BRIC grant.
July 20, 2021: Three organizations representing the group Centreville Citizens for Change file a second lawsuit against Commonfields of Cahokia and Cahokia Heights seeking to force local officials to fix decades-long problems. The lawsuit alleges Commonfields of Cahokia has been discharging raw sewage into the community in violation of the Clean Water Act.
Aug. 3, 2022: Gov. J.B. Pritzker announces a $9.9 million state grant for sewer repairs in Cahokia Heights will be “delivered today.”
Aug. 15, 2022: U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, announces a total of $28 million in federal funding is secured for Cahokia Heights. The figure includes $26.5 million from the city’s, county’s and state’s shares of federal COVID-related relief funds from the American Rescue Plan. The other $1.5 million from the total federal funding is for HeartLands’ Prairie Du Pont watershed plan.
This story was originally published January 16, 2023 at 5:30 AM.