(415 ILCS 55/8) (from Ch. 111 1/2, par. 7458)

Sec. 8. (a) The Agency, after consultation with the Committee and the Council, shall propose regulations establishing comprehensive water quality standards which are specifically for the protection of groundwater. In preparing such regulations, the Agency shall address, to the extent feasible, those contaminants which have been found in the groundwaters of the State and which are known to cause, or are suspected of causing, cancer, birth defects, or any other adverse effect on human health according to nationally accepted guidelines. Such regulations shall be submitted to the Board by July 1, 1989.

(b) Within 2 years after the date upon which the Agency files the proposed regulations, the Board shall promulgate the water quality standards for groundwater. In promulgating these regulations, the Board shall, in addition to the factors set forth in Title VII of the Environmental Protection Act, consider the following:

(1) recognition that groundwaters differ in many important respects from surface waters, including water quality, rate of movement, direction of flow, accessibility, susceptibility to pollution, and use;

(2) classification of groundwaters on an appropriate basis, such as their utility as a resource or susceptibility to contamination;

(3) preference for numerical water quality standards, where possible, over narrative standards, especially where specific contaminants have been commonly detected in groundwaters or where federal drinking water levels or advisories are available;

(4) application of nondegradation provisions for appropriate groundwaters, including notification limitations to trigger preventive response activities;

(5) relevant experiences from other states where groundwater protection programs have been implemented; and

(6) existing methods of detecting and quantifying contaminants with reasonable analytical certainty.

(c) To provide a process to expedite promulgation of groundwater quality standards, the provisions of this Section shall be exempt from the requirements of subsection (b) of Section 27 of the Environmental Protection Act; and shall be exempt from the provisions of Sections 4 and 5 of "An Act in relation to natural resources, research, data collection and environmental studies", approved July 1, 1978, as amended.

(d) The Department of Natural Resources, with the cooperation of the Committee and the Agency, shall conduct a study of the economic impact of the regulations developed pursuant to this Section. The study shall include, but need not be limited to, consideration of the criteria established in subsection (a) of Section 4 of "An Act in relation to natural resources, research, data collection and environmental studies", approved July 1, 1978, as amended. This study shall be conducted concurrently with the development of the regulations developed pursuant to this Section. Work on this study shall commence as soon as is administratively practicable after the Agency begins development of the regulations. The study shall be submitted to the Board no later than 60 days after the proposed regulations are filed with the Board.

The Department shall consult with the Economic Technical Advisory Committee during the development of the regulations and the economic impact study required in this Section and shall consider the comments of the Committee in the study.

(e) The Board may combine public hearings on the economic impact study conducted by the Department with any hearings required under Board rules.

(Source: P.A. 89-445, eff. 2-7-96; 90-655, eff. 7-30-98.)