"DEPUE, Ill. -- This tiny village tucked into the Illinois River Valley is known for its lake, a tranquil body of tree-lined water that has drawn thousands of spectators to a national boat race for nearly 30 years. But most visitors heading to Lake DePue must pass another village landmark before reaching the shore — a pile of contaminated slag weighing at least 570,000 tons that looms over the main road into town, left behind by a zinc smelter that employed many locals for decades."
"The mound of black slag is the most visible symbol of the toxic legacy that haunts this town about 20 miles west of Starved Rock State Park, where other facilities that made sulfuric acid, paint pigment and fertilizer also left behind a host of contaminants when they closed."
Ryan Haggerty reports for the Chicago Tribune December 17, 2012.
Advertisement 
