The Illinois Drycleaner Environmental Response Trust Fund was established by the Illinois legislature in 1997, in response to requests by operators of retail drycleaning facilities to have financial resources available to pay for the cleanup of spills and/or leaks from their drycleaning machines and solvent storage units. The Fund consists of three primary programs: a licensing program, an insurance program and a remedial program. The licensing program is mandatory for all retail drycleaning facilities in Illinois. The annual license fee ranges from $1,500 to $5,000, based upon the amount of drycleaning solvent purchased at the drycleaning facility.

The insurance program provides up to $500,000 in pollution liability insurance to pay for the cleanup of soil and groundwater contamination caused by a future spill or leak of drycleaning solvent at the insured's facilities. A $10,000 deductible applies to each incident.

The remedial program pays for the cleanup of existing soil or groundwater contamination caused by the spillage or release of drycleaning solvents. This covers contamination discovered after July 1, 1997 and prior to June 30, 2006.

The Fund is financed primarily by:
1. The annual license fee on active drycleaning facilities
2. A solvent fee tax charged on each gallon of drycleaning solvent purchased
3. Insurance premiums for the pollution liability insurance coverage

The Fund Council currently contracts with a private company, Williams & Company Consulting, Inc., to provide third party administration services. These services include receiving and processing license applications, receiving and processing applications for insurance coverage, receiving and processing claims and other accounting and record keeping services. To contact Williams & Company Consulting, Inc., write to:

Williams & Company Consulting, Inc.
1000 Tower Lane, Suite 140
PO Box 480
Bensenville, IL 60106
Or call 1-800-765-4041

State law specifies that the Fund will expire on January 1, 2020.

Disclaimer: This site has been prepared for the purpose of providing information about the Illinois Drycleaner Environmental Response Trust Fund. Nothing in this site would take precedence over the rules and regulations that govern the Fund.