Will: County action won’t stop project

Officials say construction underway for eco-friendly cemetery in Homer Twp.

Construction of an access road was underway this week for a Muslim cemetery in Homer Township, as officials say attempts to require a special-use permit for burial grounds may not stop the project that has concerned several area residents.

The Muslim Ummah Cemetery has a Will County permit to develop 5 acres at 18131 S. Meader Road, and plans to accommodate 24,000 graves on 40 acres.

The owner filed a permit request June 29 for the remaining 35 acres, which is being reviewed by the Will County Land Use Department, said Mike Theodore, the department’s spokesman. No building plans have been submitted for the property, he said.

Burials will be natural and environmentally friendly with no embalming of the body and no need for a traditional cement liner or casket, according to the cemetery’s website. The deceased body is wrapped in a biodegradable shroud and placed directly into the earth, in compliance with the practices of Sunnah or traditional Islamic customs.

More than 200 residents, many who use private water wells, attended a meeting in May to express their concern about the potential impact the cemetery would have on their water supply.

Sean Conners, the Will County Health Department’s environmental health division director, told residents he consulted with the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency and the Illinois Department of Public Health and was told “this type of burial is probably the greenest way you can go” with low risk for contamination.

Conners said the general conclusion is a cemetery of this nature has little risk to the groundwater if all conditions are met. The Illinois Water Well Construction Code and Illinois Groundwater Protection Act have no reference for setback for cemeteries, Conners said. The water well code has various listing for other setbacks, which are 75 feet, he said.

Will County Land Use and Development Committee Chairman Frankie Pretzel, a Republican from New Lenox, said Wednesday