Littig fights wastewater plant

Residents call site plans and lack of communication environmental racism

Littig community members last week voiced fierce pushback over a proposed wastewater treatment plant they say unjustly targets the unincorporated area and its cultural legacy without appropriate warning. Residents of Littig, southwest of downtown Elgin, challenged city leaders during a community meeting Dec. 9 on the site selection, environmental review and lack of transparency surrounding plans for the newly annexed land. City Engineer Beau Perry said the proposed plant is part of Elgin’s long-term plan to address future growth and relieve pressure from the city’s existing wastewater system.

“This has been under study from the city for quite some time — not a specific piece of property — but a specific area, from an engineering standpoint, it is very limited to,” Perry said. “We knew we were going to have to discharge somewhere in there and build a particular plan.”