Regional Ground-Water Quality Characterization of the Rockford Area, Winnebago County, Illinois: An Assessment of Volatile Organic Compounds and Selected Trace Metals

摘要

The report summarizes an investigation of regional ground-water quality in the Rockford area in north-central Illinois. The investigation was launched to determine if regional ground-water contamination, principally by volatile organic compounds (VOCS), has occurred in the Rockford area. A number of investigations conducted by local and state agencies have documented the presence of VOCs in the ground water at several locations in or near the city of Rockford, Illinois. An estimated 300 wells, including 16 public water supply wells, have been affected by the presence of organic compounds in over 20 instances of ground-water contamination in Winnebago County documented since 1970. Despite the fact that several wells were found to contain VOCs, the preponderance of information collected during the study shows that regional contamination of ground water in the Rockford area has not occurred.