A proposed cemetery in Homer Township that would include natural, eco-friendly burials with no caskets has residents, many who use private water wells, concerned about the effects the development would have on their drinking supply.

More than 200 residents packed the Homer Glen Village Hall on Tuesday to gather information from local and Will County officials. The cemetery, 18131 S. Meader Road, is in unincorporated Homer Township and permits have been issued by Will County and the Homer Township Road District.

According to the cemetery project’s website, the Muslim Ummah Cemetery would be built on about 40 acres, can accommodate 24,000 graves and be open to all Muslims who desire to be buried in a dedicated Muslim cemetery. Burials will be natural and environmentally friendly in which there is no embalming of the body and no need for a traditional cement liner or casket, the website said. 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.

The cemetery anticipates to open for burials by July, its website said. It is expected to serve more than 30,000 households in a 20 mile radius, including residents from Bridgeview, Orland Park, Frankfort, Plainfield, Bolingbrook and Naperville.

Residents said their primary concern was the private wells, what impact burials would have on their water supply and if the soil would be tested for contamination. They said they were upset they weren’t notified that the project was happening, and said their two-lane country road with no shoulders would not be able to handle an increase in traffic when funerals are happening.

Margaret Sabo, a former Homer Glen trustee, said while she remains neutral on the plan, there is a potential that the site contains a cemetery that predates the Civil War, and historians are researching whether the town’s ancestors were buried there before the 1850s.

Lisa Meader, whose third-generation farm borders the proposed cemetery, voiced concerns about the impact to wells, the impact to her crops, drainage, soil erosion and property values. The street the cemetery is located on is named for her grandfather.

“It’s not just about me,” she said. “It’s about the impact of the whole area.”

Resident Bart Basinski said all homes adjacent to the property have private wells and the only access is a small country road.

Sean Conners, the Will County Health Department’s environmental health division director, said he consulted with the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency and the Illinois Department of Public Health.

“This type of burial is probably the greenest way you can go, very low risk for contamination if certain things are met,” he said. “There are a lot of variables. For example soil type, depth to the aquifer … the pH of the soil, there’s a lot of different factors that need to be addressed.”

The general conclusion is that a cemetery of this nature has little risk to the groundwater if all conditions are met, he said. 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.

Residents, however, said they have heard conflicting information.

Some residents cited studies done by the United Kingdom to prevent or limit groundwater pollution from human burials that was last updated in 2022. The study states that human burials should not be done within 250 meters — about 820 feet — of any well where the water is intended for human consumption or used in food production.

The UK study says there is potential for groundwater pollution caused by large numbers of burials in a short time and the cumulative effects of many burials over a longer period of time.

A study by the World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe concluded “the pollution potential from cemeteries is present, but in a well managed cemetery with suitable soil conditions and drainage arrangements, the risk is probably slight.”

“There hasn’t been any definitive outbreaks associated with groundwater contamination due to cemeteries,” Conners said. “We can take that a couple of ways. One, it’s not an issue. Two, it is an issue — it just hasn’t been investigated properly. Three, we don’t have enough data.”

Will County issued the permit for the first phase of development for five acres of earthwork and up to 25,000 square feet for impervious parking and pavement, said Brian Radner, director of development services with the Will County land use department.

The cemetery is a permitted use and does not require notification to nearby residents under state statute or county ordinances, according to the land use department.

A funeral home is part of a second phase for the project, according to the cemetery website.

No building plans have been submitted to the county for the property, which could trigger other steps including a possible zoning change and review by the local fire district, Radner said.

Homer Township Highway Commissioner Brent Porfilio issued a permit for access to the property. If the group develops more than five acres, then the access permit would be pulled, he said.

Homer Township Supervisor Steve Balich, who also serves on the Will County Board, said officials first learned about the project last week, but plan to start discussions about it at the County Board’s land use and development committee at 10:30 a.m. May 9 in Joliet.

Cass Wennlund, the New Lenox Township supervisor, lives near the site and said that the cemetery should be required to obtain a special use permit. He urged residents to contact Will County board members asking them to initiate the process so conditions could be placed on the project.

“The issue is a land use issue,” he said. “Why are these things permitted uses in any residential category or any agricultural category of zoning. Why aren’t they special uses? If they were a special use, it would be heard before the Will County Planning and Zoning Commission, it would be heard by Homer Township.”

“The only way that can happen is if the Will County zoning ordinance is amended,” he said.

Conditions could then be placed on the project, such as limiting the size of the cemetery, the amount of burials, ensuring that the road is satisfactory or monitoring groundwater, he said.

Will County board member Jim Richmond, a Republican from Mokena who represents the area, said while the cemetery is a permitted use for the land, he feels that needs to be changed to a special use.

Homer Glen Mayor Christina Neitzke-Troike said while Homer Glen does not have jurisdiction over the plans, she is happy to help residents get the answers they are looking for, which will then be put on the village’s website for convenience.

Cemetery officials did not return a phone call or an email on Wednesday.

Michelle Mullins is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.