HB0170 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB096 03004 ASK 13018 b

96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2009 and 2010
HB0170

Introduced 01/14/09, by Rep. Michael W. Tryon

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

225 ILCS 225/3	from Ch. 111 1/2, par. 116.303
225 ILCS 225/7	from Ch. 111 1/2, par. 116.307
415 ILCS 5/3.487 new
415 ILCS 5/11	from Ch. 111 1/2, par. 1011

Amends the Private Sewage Disposal Licensing Act to prohibit the installation of surface discharging septic systems without a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit issued by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. Requires the amendment of the private sewage disposal code to reflect this permit requirement. In the Environmental Protection Act, sets forth a General Assembly finding that compliance with the federal Clean Water Act dictates that the Agency require NPDES permits for surface discharging private sewage disposal systems that discharge into waters of the State. Effective June 30, 2009.

FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning regulation.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Private Sewage Disposal Licensing Act is amended by changing Sections 3 and 7 As follows:

(225 ILCS 225/3) (from Ch. 111 1/2, par. 116.303)

Sec. 3. As used in this Act, unless the context otherwise requires:

(1) "Domestic Sewage" means waste water derived principally from dwellings, business or office buildings, institutions, food service establishments, and similar facilities.

(2) "Director" means Director of the Illinois Department of Public Health.

(3) "Department" means the Illinois Department of Public Health.

(4) "Human Wastes" means undigested food and by-products of metabolism which are passed out of the human body.

(5) "Person" means any individual, group of individuals, association, trust, partnership, corporation, person doing business under an assumed name, the State of Illinois or any Department thereof, or any other entity.

(6) "Population Equivalent" means an average waste loading equivalent to that produced by one person which is defined as 100 gallons per day.

(7) "Private Sewage Disposal System" means any sewage handling or treatment facility receiving domestic sewage from less than 15 people or population equivalent and having a ground surface discharge or any sewage handling or treatment facility receiving domestic sewage and having no ground surface discharge.

(8) "Private Sewage Disposal System Installation Contractor" means any person constructing, installing, repairing, modifying, or maintaining private sewage disposal systems.

(9) "Property Owner" means the person in whose name legal title to the real estate is recorded.

(10) "Waste" means either human waste or domestic sewage or both.

(11) "Private Sewage Disposal System Pumping Contractor" means any person who cleans or pumps waste from a private sewage disposal system or hauls or disposes of wastes removed therefrom.

(12) "Alternative private sewage disposal system" means any system designed to address a unique circumstance where the prescriptive requirements of the private sewage disposal code does not apply, where the final treatment and discharge is free flowing through native soil, and where (i) the projected wastewater is likely to be atypical of residential or domestic wastewater in that flow may exceed 1500 gallons per day; (ii) the 5-day biochemical oxygen demand of the wastewater may exceed 300 milligrams per liter; (iii) any portion of the system is to be shared by 2 or more owners; or (iv) any portion of the treated wastewater is proposed for recycling or reuse.

(13) "NPDES" means the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System.

(14) "Surface Discharging Private Sewage Disposal System" means a sewage disposal system that discharges to waters of the State, as that term is used in subsection (f) of Section 12 of the Environmental Protection Act.

(Source: P.A. 95-656, eff. 10-11-07.)

(225 ILCS 225/7) (from Ch. 111 1/2, par. 116.307)

Sec. 7. (a) The Department shall promulgate and publish and may from time to time amend a private sewage disposal code which shall include minimum standards for the design, construction, materials, operation and maintenance of private sewage disposal systems, for the transportation and disposal of wastes removed therefrom and for private sewage disposal system servicing equipment. In the preparation of the private sewage disposal code, the Department may consult with and request technical assistance from other state agencies, and shall consult with other technically qualified persons and with owners and operators of such services. Such technically qualified persons shall include representatives of the real estate, development, and building industries.

(b) The Department is expressly prohibited from amending the private sewage disposal code by rule if there are increases in the land density requirements. Amendments that increase the land density requirements must be approved by the Illinois General Assembly.

(c) Beginning January 1, 2010, a surface discharging private sewage disposal system with a discharge that enters waters of the State, as that term is used in subsection (f) of Section 12 of the Environmental Protection Act, shall not be installed by any person without the issuance of a coverage letter under a NPDES permit issued by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, and the private sewage disposal code must be so amended.

(d) Except as provided in subsection (c) of this Section, before Before the adoption or amendment of the private sewage disposal code, the Department shall hold a public hearing with respect thereto. At least 20 days' notice for such public hearing shall be given by the Department in such manner as the Department considers adequate to bring such hearing to the attention of persons interested in such code. Notice of such public hearing shall be given by the Department to those who file a request for a notice of any such hearings.

(Source: P.A. 88-690, eff. 1-24-95.)

Section 10. The Environmental Protection Act is amended by adding Section 3.487 and by changing Section 11 as follows:

(415 ILCS 5/3.487 new)

Sec. 3.487. Surface discharging private sewage disposal system. "Surface discharging private sewage disposal system" means a sewage disposal system that discharges to waters of the State, as that term is used in subsection (f) of Section 12 of this Act.

(415 ILCS 5/11) (from Ch. 111 1/2, par. 1011)

Sec. 11. (a) The General Assembly finds:

(1) that pollution of the waters of this State constitutes a menace to public health and welfare, creates public nuisances, is harmful to wildlife, fish, and aquatic life, impairs domestic, agricultural, industrial, recreational, and other legitimate beneficial uses of water, depresses property values, and offends the senses;

(2) that the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, as now or hereafter amended, provides for a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) to regulate the discharge of contaminants to the waters of the United States;

(3) that the Safe Drinking Water Act (P.L. 93-523), as amended, provides for an Underground Injection Control (UIC) program to regulate the underground injection of contaminants;

(4) that it would be inappropriate and misleading for the State of Illinois to issue permits to contaminant sources subject to such federal law, as well as State law, which do not contain such terms and conditions as are required by federal law, or the issuance of which is contrary to federal law;

(5) that the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, as now or hereafter amended, provides that NPDES permits shall be issued by the United States Environmental Protection Agency unless (a) the State is authorized by and under its law to establish and administer its own permit program for discharges into waters within its jurisdiction, and (b) pursuant to such federal Act, the Administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency approves such State program to issue permits which will implement the provisions of such federal Act;

(6) that Part C of the Safe Drinking Water Act (P.L. 93-523), as amended, provides that the United States Environmental Protection Agency shall implement the UIC program authorized therein unless (a) the State is authorized by and under its law to establish and administer its own UIC program, and (b) pursuant to such federal Act, the Administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency approves such State program which will implement the provisions of such federal Act;

(7) that it is in the interest of the People of the State of Illinois for the State to authorize such NPDES and UIC programs and secure federal approval thereof, and thereby to avoid the existence of duplicative, overlapping or conflicting state and federal statutory permit systems;

(8) that the federal requirements for the securing of such NPDES and UIC permit program approval, as set forth in the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, as now or hereafter amended, and in the Safe Drinking Water Act (P.L. 93-523), as amended, respectively, and in regulations promulgated by the Administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency pursuant thereto are complex and detailed, and the General Assembly cannot conveniently or advantageously set forth in this Act all the requirements of such federal Act or all regulations which may be established thereunder; and

(9) compliance with the federal Clean Water Act dictates that the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency require NPDES permits for surface discharging private sewage disposal systems that discharge into waters of the State, as that term is used in subsection (f) of Section 12 of this Act.

(b) It is the purpose of this Title to restore, maintain and enhance the purity of the waters of this State in order to protect health, welfare, property, and the quality of life, and to assure that no contaminants are discharged into the waters of the State, as defined herein, including, but not limited to, waters to any sewage works, or into any well, or from any source within the State of Illinois, without being given the degree of treatment or control necessary to prevent pollution, or without being made subject to such conditions as are required to achieve and maintain compliance with State and federal law; and to authorize, empower, and direct the Board to adopt such regulations and the Agency to adopt such procedures as will enable the State to secure federal approval to issue NPDES permits pursuant to the provisions of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, as now or hereafter amended, and federal regulations pursuant thereto and to authorize, empower, and direct the Board to adopt such regulations and the Agency to adopt such procedures as will enable the State to secure federal approval of the State UIC program pursuant to the provisions of Part C of the Safe Drinking Water Act (P.L. 93-523), as amended, and federal regulations pursuant thereto.

(c) The provisions of this Act authorizing implementation of the regulations pursuant to an NPDES program shall not be construed to limit, affect, impair, or diminish the authority, duties and responsibilities of the Board, Agency, Department or any other governmental agency or officer, or of any unit of local government, to regulate and control pollution of any kind, to restore, to protect or to enhance the quality of the environment, or to achieve all other purposes, or to enforce provisions, set forth in this Act or other State law or regulation.

(Source: P.A. 86-671.)

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect June 30, 2009.