Homer Glen, Residents Object To 'Hydro Excavation,' Say It Would 'Significantly Disrupt' Quality Of Life'

HOMER GLEN, IL — Over 400 people have signed a petition against a proposed "hydro excavation" company to operate in Homer Township.

At a special board meeting on May 15, the Homer Glen Village Board filed a formal legal objection to the proposed operation. The Homer Township Board also filed its formal objection at its own meeting the same day.

The resident petition, with 444 signatures, states that the development is next to the Cedar Glen subdivision and would "significantly disrupt the quality of life we've worked so hard to maintain."

The hydro excavation company, Badger Daylighting Corporation, is requesting a map amendment from the current C2-R2 zoning to C4 zoning at a 38.62-acre property located along 159th Street.

According to County documents, the property is in Homer Township. The Village of Homer Glen abuts the property to the north and the City of Lockport is .4 miles southwest of the property.

Documents state that Badger wants to buy the parcel and use it for an office and storage of trucks.

"The applicant has indicated the use will generate between 80-120 vehicle trips daily from office employees coming to work and service vehicles being dispatched off-site," County documents state.

According to Badger's website, the business is the largest provider of nondestructive excavating and related services in North America. The business replaces hand digging or mechanical excavation with high-pressure water that liquefies the soil while a vacuum removes the slurry. The practice is usually used for excavating around underground utilities.

According to County documents, this mixture of soil and water can be contaminated. Any contaminated material would be identified in advance and would go to an approved disposal facility.

"If the waste cannot be brought to a proper facilities due to them not being open Badger might temporarily store materials on site until a proper waste facility is open for business," county documents state. Clean soil would also be stored on-site.

At the Homer Glen meeting on May 15, Trustee Mike LePore said he shared residents' concerns about the proposed change in zoning.

"I guess the concern lies in the amount of traffic and the disturbance to residents who are currently living close by," LePore said.

Trustee Bart Holzhauser agreed, adding that he was concerned about "logistics of in and out," and "the amount of vehicles," as well as the industrial-type business. He said residents are looking for restaurants and shopping along that corridor.

With the formal opposition from Homer Glen, the Will County Board would need a three-fourths majority to pass the zoning change.

The Will County planning and zoning commission heard the matter at its May 19 meeting and voted 4-3 to recommend the project.

The proposal will next appear in front of the Will County Land Use & Development Committee at 11 a.m. on June 4.