"MURDOCK -- In the late 1980s, Zala Swigart worked at the Murdock coal mine, weighing the trucks hauling coal out of the underground operation that's less than a mile from where she lives."

"Now, Swigart, 67, watches trucks hauling material into the former Douglas County mine even though it's more than 20 years since it operated as a coal mine.

Swigart said she loved working there, but in the last few years, the site has become a source of frustration for her, her husband, Eric Swigart, and other neighbors who have had to deal with dust from the site as well as strong odors and concerns that their well water is not safe.

'I would not drink it or cook with it,' said Swigart, who only uses the water for washing dishes and clothes or showering."

Tracy Moss reports for the Champaign-Urbana News-Gazette January 6, 2013. [2]