Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul has joined the U.S. Department of Justice and the federal and state Environmental Protection Agencies to sue two Metro East communities over failures to address their sewer systems. [Health News Illinois]

Lawsuits filed against Cahokia Heights and East St. Louis allege the two cities violated federal and state environmental protection laws by failing to address sanitary sewer overflows, threatening the health of those who live in the surrounding communities, Raoul said.

“For too long, the neglected and aging sewer systems in Cahokia Heights and East St. Louis have forced local residents to deal with raw sewage in their basements, in their streets and in local waterways,” he said in a statement.

Cahokia Heights has entered into a consent decree to resolve the allegations, requiring the city to pay a $30,000 civil penalty and invest $30 million in sewer improvement projects. An ongoing health study has found Cahokia Height residents have been exposed to bacteria and parasites from sewage backups and flooding. 

Mayor Curtis McCall Sr. said the consent decree represents the city’s “continued commitment to invest in our infrastructure and improve the lives of residents throughout Cahokia Heights for many years to come.”

The complaint against East St. Louis alleges the city discharged untreated sewage to the Mississippi River 140 times since 2020, and an unknown number of times into Whispering Willow Lake.

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