EPA seizes Crestwood files

Federal agents raided government offices in south suburban Crestwood on Wednesday, less than two weeks after a Tribune investigation revealed the village had secretly pumped drinking water from a polluted well for more than two decades.

Acting on a search warrant obtained by U.S. Atty. Patrick Fitzgerald’s office, investigators from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency spent most of the day collecting records from Crestwood Village Hall, the public works department and the Police Department. They carted away several boxes of documents and took computers for further review.

The involvement of federal prosecutors signals a significant turn in the case. Most violations of environmental laws are handled in civil court, and criminal pollution investigations typically are directed at corporations and individuals, not municipalities.

Agents on the scene in Crestwood wouldn’t say much, nor would Fitzgerald’s office. But the raid closely followed the Tribune’s April 19 report that village residents for years drank water contaminated with chemicals linked to cancer, liver damage and other ailments.

Chicago Tribune