The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency will host an open house Wednesday, Aug. 5 to talk about the upcoming lead soil sampling at the site of the former Haeger Pottery factory on West Calhoun Street in Macomb.
According to Illinois EPA officials, recent soil sampling off-site of the former Haeger property showed levels of lead higher than Illinois’ safety standards. To help determine the extent of the contamination, the Illinois EPA will test soil from public right‑of‑way areas around the neighborhood beginning Aug. 24. Illinois EPA representatives and City of Macomb staff will be available to answer questions about the project between 4-7 p.m., Aug. 5 in the Macomb City Hall Community Room.
For over 13 years, the former Haeger Pottery factory and office on West Calhoun Street sat empty before it was razed in 2021. All that's left is a concrete lot … but thanks to Prairie Hills Land Bank Authority, a partnership with the Prairie Hills Resource Conservation and Development in Macomb, the property could possibly, in the future, be transformed into a city park if remediation can take place. The property, last appraised at $600,000, was donated in December 2024 to the land bank, which was established Aug. 1, 2025 as a freestanding unit of local government in Macomb and five other communities in west central Illinois (Colchester, Carthage, Dallas City, Monmouth and Manito). The Haeger property is the first project of the newly-created Macomb-based land bank authority.
Prairie Hills submitted a grant application to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Brownfield Program grant earlier this year to remediate the property to remove lead, arsenic and other contaminants from the soil to turn the area into a park; however, according to Prairie Hills Executive Director Victoria Livingston, the organization did not receive the federal grant. Livingston said they'll re-apply for EPA funding this fall, and continue monitoring other funding sources to remediate the property so it can be turned into green space and potentially a city park.
'We're not giving up on remediation,' she added. 'Hopefully, the state involvement opens some other options as well.'
For more information on the Illinois EPA's sampling in Macomb, visit https://bit.ly /4b1NURk. To learn more about Prairie Hills and their services, visit prairiehillsrcd.org.
