Cyndi Loza

There’s dirt under Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn’s nails, and he’s proud of it.

Tons of mud that clogged the Illinois River were unloaded Friday on the site of the old U.S. Steel South Works. The mud will be used as topsoil for a new park planned for the industrial wasteland.

“It feels like it did when I was 3 years old,” Quinn said as he sifted the mud through his hands. “In politics, there’s often bad mudslinging, but this is the good kind.”

The project at 8555 S. Green Bay, conducted in collaboration with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and the Illinois Rivers Coordinating Council, helps two communities, Quinn said.

In central Illinois, removal of the mud from East Peoria created a marina channel 9 feet deep and 100 feet wide.

And in the future, he said, South Side residents will get to enjoy an 85-acre park by Lake Michigan.

Residents look forward to park

John Marlin, a senior scientist at the Natural Resources Department, said seven barges of mud — each holding a load equivalent to what 75 semi-tractor trailers could carry — were relocated to the barren site. The topsoil will cover the USX slag field, allowing vegetation to grow there.

Some residents in the community joined in welcoming the mud and the prospect of a new park.

“We’re really looking forward to having more lake park space,” said Karen S. Roothaan, 54, of the Far South Side Bush neighborhood.

Park District Supt. Tim Mitchell said completion of the park will depend on financial backing from the state and federal governments. He said about $100 million would be needed to finish the project.

“I hesitate to put a timeline on [the park], but I think that the intention of all the people working on it is to try to get the resources necessary to try and get this done in a timely manner so it develops along with the rest of the community,” Mitchell said.