Crestwood: The Poison Was Intentional
How Illinois Officials Deliberately Contaminated Their Own Water Supply — And What It Means for the PFAS Crisis Unfolding Today
An investigation into two decades of lies, a $15 million reckoning, and the forever chemicals threatening hundreds of thousands of Illinois residents
The Billboard That Lied
For nearly forty years, Chester Stranczek ruled Crestwood, Illinois like a benevolent dictator. Outside Village Hall, he favored rotating billboard messages about God, patriotism, and his governing philosophy.
What the billboard never said: We’re poisoning your water.
From 1985 until December 2007, Stranczek and a small circle of village employees intermittently pumped contaminated well water into Crestwood’s drinking supply, falsified government reports, and maintained a cover-up that endangered roughly 11,000 residents—all to keep water rates low and preserve Stranczek’s reputation as America’s most “fiscally responsible” mayor. This wasn’t negligence. It was a deliberate, calculated deception that lasted twenty-two years and only unraveled after the Chicago Tribune exposed it in April 2009. Wikipedia
As Illinois now confronts a new contamination crisis—this time from PFAS “forever chemicals” spreading from industrial and defense-related uses—the Crestwood scandal is a chilling reminder: when money and image are at stake, trust can be dangerous.
Part I: The Best-Run Town in America
Property Tax Rebates and Political Power
In the mid-1990s, Crestwood became a curiosity. Mayor Chester Stranczek, in office since 1969, rebated property taxes to every homeowner and trumpeted ultra-low water rates. The message was simple: keep taxes low, keep water cheaper than neighboring towns, and residents will feel like they’re getting a deal.
Those low water rates—among the lowest in the Southland—became a cornerstone of his political power. There was just one problem: the water wasn’t safe.
The 1985 Warning That Was Ignored
In 1985, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (Illinois EPA) tested Crestwood’s emergency backup well—Well #1—as part of a statewide investigation. The well showed chlorinated solvent contamination, including vinyl chloride (a known human carcinogen), perchloroethylene, and related breakdown products. Federal policy treats vinyl chloride as a human carcinogen and EPA’s enforceable drinking-water MCL is 2 µg/L, set to minimize lifetime cancer risk. Village officials told regulators they would rely on treated Lake Michigan water purchased from Alsip. Wikipedia
That assurance didn’t hold.
The Secret Logbooks
Behind the scenes, the village intermittently blended water from Well #1 into its Lake Michigan supply and filed reports that concealed the practice. Staff kept separate logbooks tracking when the well ran; Monthly Operations Reports and Consumer Confidence Reports told residents everything was fine. The blending continued until December 2007; the scheme collapsed only after the Tribune’s 2009 investigation brought daylight. Wikipedia
Part II: The Mother Who Wouldn’t Stop Looking
When Children Get Sick, Questions Begin
As local families faced cancers and other serious illnesses, resident Tricia Krause spent years pressing agencies for answers, filing records requests, and gathering documentation. Officials stonewalled. Eventually a source told her the truth: the village had been mixing contaminated well water into the drinking supply for years despite earlier assurances to regulators. She worked with reporters, and in April 2009 the Chicago Tribune published “Poison in the Well.” The cover-up began to unravel. Wikipedia
The Human Toll
Subsequent state public health reviews examined Crestwood cancer patterns and concluded the contaminants “could have contributed” to elevated rates of certain cancers; definitive causation was limited by incomplete historical sampling (the village’s evasion meant precise exposure data were missing). The absence of complete data was itself a consequence of the deception. Wikipedia
Part III: The Accountability That Almost Didn’t Happen
Prosecuting the Poisoners
By the time the case reached federal court, Stranczek had left office and was deemed incompetent to stand trial. Prosecutors focused on two insiders:
Theresa Neubauer, water department supervisor (later police chief)
Frank Scaccia, the certified water operator
In April 2013, a jury convicted Neubauer on 11 counts of making false statements to regulators; Scaccia pleaded guilty shortly before trial. In November 2013, the court imposed probationary sentences (Neubauer: probation, $2,000 fine, 200 hours community service; Scaccia: probation with six months’ home confinement). Statutory maximums were higher, but the actual sentences reflected judicial discretion at sentencing. Department of Justice+1
The $15 Million Settlement
In September 2015, Crestwood agreed to a $15 million civil settlement with 341 residents. The village financed payments through bonds, current funds, and insurance. It was a fraction of the harm—and an expensive epilogue for a town that had once touted fiscal genius. ABC7 Chicago
Part IV: The Forever Chemicals Crisis
PFAS: A New Poison, An Old Pattern
While Crestwood’s contamination centered on volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from local sources, Illinois now faces widespread contamination from per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)—synthetic chemicals that persist in the environment and in people. In April 2024, EPA finalized the first national PFAS drinking-water standards with enforceable MCLs of 4 ppt for PFOA and PFOS; 10 ppt for PFNA, PFHxS, and GenX (HFPO-DA); plus a Hazard Index for mixtures including PFBS. Initial monitoring is due by April 26, 2027; compliance by April 26, 2029 (EPA has since announced plans to extend some deadlines to 2031 via additional rulemaking; until finalized, the 2024 rule remains in force). Federal Register+1
How Big Is the Illinois Problem?
Following state rulemaking that aligned groundwater standards with EPA’s approach, Illinois EPA in April 2025 notified 47 community water systems (and later, additional connected systems) under Right-to-Know provisions—affecting hundreds of thousands of residents—while monitoring and follow-up actions continue. Illinois EPA+1
Military, Airports, and Industry
PFAS contamination in Illinois often traces to aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) historically used at military installations and airports, along with industrial sources. Publicly available data document exceedances at/near multiple DOD facilities in the state (e.g., Scott Air Force Base, Naval Station Great Lakes), with ongoing site investigations and community notifications. The broad lesson is the same: once PFAS are in groundwater, cleanups are complex and slow. Illinois EPA
Part V: The Legal Reckoning
Nationwide PFAS Litigation
Thousands of PFAS cases are consolidated in federal MDL 2873 (District of South Carolina). Public water systems have reached multi-billion-dollar settlements with manufacturers (e.g., 3M), while additional personal-injury and property-damage suits continue nationwide. States, including Illinois, have also filed actions against manufacturers for contamination and costs. US EPA
Who Gets Held Accountable?
The pattern is depressingly familiar:
Punished: operational staff who executed directives; municipalities and taxpayers who pay cleanup and legal bills.
Spared: top decision-makers shielded by legal structures or incapacity; corporations that settle and continue operating under new agreements.
Crestwood and PFAS share the same architecture: diffuse harm, delayed discovery, and accountability that rarely reaches the top.
Part VI: What This Means for You
The Illusion of Safety
Crestwood filed Consumer Confidence Reports assuring safe water even while blending in contaminated well water. Official assurances mean little without independent verification and transparent data. Wikipedia
The Compliance Gap
New PFAS standards are historic—but testing and compliance roll out over years. Some Illinois systems only recently received Right-to-Know notices; others will be identified as monitoring expands. The pattern with water contamination is consistent: by the time the data are conclusive, exposure has already occurred. Illinois EPA
Protect Yourself: Action Steps
Demand transparency: Ask your utility for its latest Consumer Confidence Report and PFAS sampling results; use public records requests where needed.
Consider independent testing: Especially near military bases, airports, industrial sites, or landfills.
Know your sources: Determine if you’re on Lake Michigan water, groundwater, or a blend; check EPA/Illinois EPA mapping pages.
Treatment options: Reverse osmosis is the most reliable home method for PFAS; activated carbon can reduce some PFAS. Always test before/after installing treatment.
Political action: Support faster testing and compliance timelines; broaden monitoring beyond the six regulated PFAS; demand real enforcement and public reporting.
Document health issues: Keep medical records and timelines of residence; consider PFAS blood testing in consultation with your clinician.
Legal Recourse (If You Were Exposed)
Typical requirements include: a qualifying diagnosis (e.g., kidney or testicular cancer), documented exposure via contaminated water, and medical records. Many firms take PFAS cases on contingency, but statutes of limitations apply (often two years from diagnosis in Illinois). Consult counsel promptly to understand your options.
Part VII: The Deeper Sickness
Why Officials Choose Poison
Stranczek’s political math was simple: low rates and tax rebates won elections; full transparency and fixes would raise costs and threaten power. So the village didn’t test, didn’t fix, and lied—until it couldn’t. PFAS manufacturers followed their own math: protect markets, fight regulation, and settle years later.
The Culture of Complicity
Perhaps most disturbing, some in Crestwood rallied behind convicted officials. Admitting the truth meant admitting a long betrayal. Cognitive dissonance is a formidable shield—for corrupt systems and the people who run them.
Regulatory Capture
Illinois EPA knew about Well #1 in 1985 and accepted assurances without sustained verification. Today’s PFAS rules are stronger, but enforcement resources and timelines matter. Without aggressive oversight, history repeats. Wikipedia
Part VIII: The Forever Crisis
Why PFAS Is Different—and Worse
Everywhere. Thousands of documented sites nationwide; many more likely untested.
Permanent. PFAS don’t readily break down; most treatments move the chemicals rather than destroy them.
Ongoing. Even as some PFAS are banned or restricted, new analogs enter commerce with uncertain risks. The result: we are cleaning yesterday’s mess while creating tomorrow’s.
Conclusion: Trust, Betrayed
Beneath the billboard slogans, Crestwood drank poison. The lesson is not cynicism—it is vigilance. Institutions will not reliably protect you when money and image are on the line. Data, transparency, enforcement, and citizen persistence do.
Victory looks like personal liability for knowing polluters, independent testing, rapid disclosure, precautionary regulation, and lifetime monitoring and care for the exposed. Until then, different chemicals, different towns—same story.
The water is already poisoned. What happens next is up to us.
Were you supposed to be notified that your water is contaminated? Check the Illinois EPA’s official list of 47 affected community water systems here.
Resources
Report contamination:
Illinois EPA: (217) 782-3397 · epa.illinois.gov
EPA Safe Drinking Water Hotline: (800) 426-4791
National Response Center: (800) 424-8802
Legal assistance:
Illinois Attorney General: (800) 386-5438 · illinoisattorneygeneral.gov
(Consult local counsel for PFAS mass-tort eligibility.)
Testing information:
Illinois EPA PFAS hub (Right-to-Know & lists): epa.illinois.gov/topics/drinking-water/public-water-users/notices.html Illinois EPA
EPA PFAS rule overview: epa.gov/sdwa/and-polyfluoroalkyl-substances-pfas US EPA
Advocacy organizations:
Illinois Environmental Council · Environmental Working Group · Clean Water Action
Health information:
CDC/ATSDR on PFAS: see EPA/CDC portals (general risk summaries align with EPA 2024 rule). US EPA
Sources & Further Reading (selected)
Chicago Tribune coverage beginning April 19, 2009 (“Poison in the Well”) and follow-ups. Wikipedia
U.S. DOJ (N.D. Ill.) press releases: Neubauer conviction (Apr 29, 2013); subsequent sentencing coverage (Nov 2013). Department of Justice+1
Settlement: WLS/ABC7 report, Sept 22, 2015 (Crestwood $15M / 341 residents). ABC7 Chicago
EPA PFAS Rule (Final, Apr 26, 2024): MCLs & timelines; technical overview (PDF) and Federal Register. US EPA+1
Illinois EPA Right-to-Know (Apr 14, 2025): 47 community systems notified; subsequent additions. Illinois EPA+1
PFAS at Illinois military sites: state and public summaries noting exceedances and ongoing investigations. Illinois EPA