Oct 2 (Reuters) - The agribusiness company

Archer-Daniels-Midland ( ADM ) has paused injection of carbon

dioxide at its Illinois carbon capture and storage (CCS) site

after discovering a potential leak deep underground, the company

confirmed on Wednesday.

The CCS operation at ADM's Decatur facility, the first major

project of its kind in the U.S., is meant to demonstrate that

the technology - billed as a tool in the fight against climate

change - can be deployed safely.

On Sept. 24, ADM detected potential movement of brine

"between different formations" at a depth of 5,000 feet,

according to a Sept. 27 letter sent from the company to the

Environmental Protection Agency and seen by Reuters.

Environmental groups in Illinois have expressed concern

that the CCS project could pose a risk to their drinking water.

"We can't afford to wait for a disaster," said Pam Richart,

a leader in a coalition of local groups opposed to CCS projects

above the Mahomet Aquifer, which sits below the ADM site.

ADM spokesperson Jackie Anderson said the incident presents

no risk to surface or groundwater or to public health, and that

injection had been paused at the site while the company conducts

additional tests.

In September, ADM confirmed that the EPA in August found

that the company had violated federal safe drinking water rules

by failing to follow an emergency response plan after a leak at

one of the site's monitoring wells.