History of Dead Creek
The history of Dead Creek, in southwest Illinois' St. Clair County, is essentially a history of industrial pollution and abuse. The creek originates in the tiny (population < 300) village of Sauget, a municipal entity created in the 1920s.
Many Toxic Pollutants Dumped Here
In 1901, Monsanto was founded in St. Louis, Missouri, across the Mississippi River from Dead Creek. In 1926, the "village" of Monsanto — later renamed Sauget after the first village president — was incorporated on the Illinois side of the river. By then, Monsanto had moved from manufacturing one of its first products, saccharin, to industrial chemicals.
Toxic Pollutants Manufactured in the Area
For example, the potentially hazardous products made and marketed by Monsanto over the years include:
- DDT and other pesticides, including "Roundup"
- Agent Orange
- PCBs — polychlorinated biphenyls (synthetic, toxic chemicals)
- dioxins
- bovine growth hormone
- sarin and mustard gas
An EPA Superfund Site
The Dead Creek area is among the 50 sites owned or operated by Monsanto and now designated as Superfund toxic sites by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
The Dead Creek area includes:
- Property owned by Cerro Flow Products, where copper is recycled
- The W.G. Krummrich Plant, an over 300-acre site also called "the Monsanto plant"
- A 90-acre landfill operated by Sauget and Co.
- "Borrow Pit Lake" — a name used by the EPA and Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) for the man-made, roughly 60,000-square-foot, 14-feet-deep water-filled pit constructed in the 1940s
Polluted Lake and Creek
The inhabitants of Sauget and nearby Cahokia may know Borrow Pit Lake by other names. Many have fished and/or swam in this "lake," unaware of the underground connection that may have brought toxins and pollutants to the lake. In 2000, fish caught in Borrow Pit Lake showed significant levels of toxic dioxins — even though Monsanto stopped producing PCBs in the 1970s.
Today, Dead Creek, Sauget and Cahokia all have areas that are labeled by the IDPH as "public health hazards."
Legal Help for Affected Families
If you or a member of your family lived in Sauget, swam in or ate fish caught from Borrow Pit Lake, or played in Dead Creek and now suffer from cancer or a similar disease, you may have a claim against the makers of the pollutants that cause such illnesses. Contact the law offices of Saville & Flint to arrange a no-cost, no-obligation consultation and discuss your circumstances. We look forward to helping you.
The Illinois Department of Public Health found areas around Dead Creek from Sauget into Cahokia to pose a “public health hazard.” If you or a loved one lived in Sauget, grew up/played in Dead Creek, or ate fish caught from Borrow Pit Lake and have suffered any adverse side effects, you may have a claim.
At Saville & Flint we understand the trauma and devastation caused by the pollution at Dead Creek. We are committed to helping injured families recover compensation for physical, emotional and financial losses incurred as a result of toxic exposure.