Beginning in the 1850s, manufactured gas plants (MGPs) were built in cities throughout Illinois. These plants produced gas by heating coal or oil. The gas was used for lighting, cooking and heating. The MGPs were closed as natural gas became widely available.

As the MGPs were closed, equipment was removed and buildings were razed. However, some byproducts - primarily coal tar - of the manufactured gas process remained buried on the site. While this was in accordance with the practices of the time, today the location of these byproducts must be located, identified and removed. Ameren Illinois conducts MGP site investigations and cleanups in accordance with the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency’s Voluntary Site Remediation Program.

The files found on this website are a collection of documents associated with the Champaign MGP Remediation Project. In addition to this website, site information repositories are maintained at the Douglass Branch of the Champaign Public Library, 504 E. Grove Street, and at the information desk of the Champaign City Building, 102 N. Neil Street.