Community Corner

Lipinski on Last Week's Tremor: 'We Still Need Answers'

The U.S. representative from Western Springs is still trying to get to the bottom of what caused the seismic event that shook the western suburbs on Nov. 4.

U.S. Rep. Dan Lipinski (D-IL) said he still wants to find out what exactly caused the seismic event that rattled the western suburbs on Nov. 4. 

"More than a week after this event that alarmed residents throughout our communities, we still need answers," Lipinski said at a meeting Tuesday of the Lyons Township Quarry Advisory Council in Countryside. 

Last Monday at approximately 12:35 p.m., a magnitude-3.2 tremor was felt in the area. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) initially said it was an earthquake, but shortly thereafter said the tremor was the result of a quarry blast near Countryside. 

READ: Twitter, Facebook React to Monday's Groundshaking Tremor

The Hanson Material Service quarry in McCook was the only area quarry where blasting was going on that day. After a two-day inspection the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) reported that no blasting violations took place at Hanson on Nov. 4. Further, the IDNR said it found the seismic event to be a separate event that took place seven seconds after a blast at Hanson.

"What this secondary event was, or what caused it, is outside our regulatory expertise," a release from the IDNR stated. 

READ: So What the Heck Caused Monday's Tremor?

According to a release sent out by Lipinski, the Western Springs resident has been working with local officials, federal agencies and quarry representatives to further analyze the seismic data from Nov. 4 to determine whether the tremor was indeed the result of any quarry blasts or an independent event.

"Clearly, we have a case of conflicting data, with the USGS evidence suggesting an explosion at the quarry directly caused the seismic event and Hanson Materials suggesting two events occurred—one a planned blast, the other still unexplained," Lipinski said. "We need to get to the bottom of it so something like this does not happen again and that we hold Hanson responsible for any damage if the company is indeed responsible." 

Lipinski has requested an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. In a letter last week, the congressman asked that both agencies "ascertain whether laws, regulations, and protocols may have been violated" regarding the purchase, storage and use of explosives. 

Lipinski's release says the congressman has talked at length with the USGS about its observations and is planning to meet with Hanson officials in the next week.


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