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1 | AN ACT concerning safety.
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2 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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3 | represented in the General Assembly:
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4 | Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Green | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
5 | Infrastructure for Clean Water Act. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
6 | Section 5. Definitions. As used in this Act: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
7 | "Agency" means the Illinois Environmental Protection | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
8 | Agency.
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9 | "Green infrastructure" means any storm water management | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
10 | technique or practice employed with the primary goal of | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
11 | preserving, restoring, or mimicking natural hydrology. Green | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
12 | infrastructure includes, but is not limited to, methods of | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
13 | using soil and vegetation to promote soil percolation, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
14 | evapotranspiration, and filtration. Green infrastructure | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
15 | includes the preservation and restoration of natural landscape | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
16 | features, such as forests, floodplains, headwaters, and | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
17 | wetlands. Green infrastructure also includes rain gardens, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
18 | permeable pavements, green roofs, infiltration planters, trees | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
19 | and tree boxes, and rainwater harvesting for non-potable uses, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
20 | such as toilet flushing and landscape irrigation.
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21 | Section 10. Legislative findings. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
22 | (a) The General Assembly finds: |
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1 | (1) that storm water, when not properly controlled and | ||||||
2 | treated, causes pollution of the waters of the State, | ||||||
3 | threatens public health, and damages property by carrying | ||||||
4 | pollutants from our highways, streets, roads, parking | ||||||
5 | lots, driveways, sidewalks, alleys, lawns, and other | ||||||
6 | surfaces of low permeability into lakes, rivers, streams, | ||||||
7 | ponds, and drinking water aquifers;
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8 | (2) that development often results in increased storm | ||||||
9 | water runoff by increasing the size and number of paved and | ||||||
10 | other impervious surfaces within the State and decreasing | ||||||
11 | the amount of natural surface areas that naturally control | ||||||
12 | storm water runoff through natural filtration and | ||||||
13 | groundwater recharge systems;
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14 | (3) that current threats to the State's water resources | ||||||
15 | include the effects of improper storm water management, | ||||||
16 | such as pollution, increased water temperatures, flooding, | ||||||
17 | groundwater depletion, loss of habitat, stream bank | ||||||
18 | erosion, sewer overflows, basement backups, contaminated | ||||||
19 | drinking water sources, and sedimentation of waterways; | ||||||
20 | and
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21 | (4) that these harms can be minimized and water | ||||||
22 | resources made more resilient through better management of | ||||||
23 | natural infrastructure and expanded use of green | ||||||
24 | infrastructure, often at comparable or lower costs than | ||||||
25 | other approaches that provide fewer benefits.
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26 | (b) The General Assembly also finds that the benefits from |
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1 | the use of green infrastructure include: | ||||||
2 | (1) Cleaner Water. Green infrastructure reduces the | ||||||
3 | volume of storm water runoff in combined and separate sewer | ||||||
4 | systems and the frequency of combined sewer overflows, and | ||||||
5 | it reduces the concentrations of pollutants in those | ||||||
6 | discharges.
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7 | (2) Enhanced Water Supplies. Most green infiltration | ||||||
8 | approaches involve allowing storm water to percolate | ||||||
9 | through the soil where it recharges the groundwater and the | ||||||
10 | base flow for streams, thus ensuring adequate water | ||||||
11 | supplies for humans and more stable aquatic ecosystems. | ||||||
12 | Other green infrastructure techniques that capture and | ||||||
13 | reuse storm water also conserve water supplies.
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14 | (3) Reduced Flooding. Green infrastructure controls | ||||||
15 | surface flooding and stabilizes the hydrology so that peak | ||||||
16 | stream flows are reduced.
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17 | (4) Cleaner Air. Trees and vegetation improve air | ||||||
18 | quality by filtering many airborne pollutants, thereby | ||||||
19 | reducing the incidence of respiratory illness.
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20 | (5) Reduced Urban Temperatures. Trees and other | ||||||
21 | vegetation create shade, reduce the amount of heat | ||||||
22 | absorbing materials, and emit water vapor, which controls | ||||||
23 | surface temperature, thus helping to alleviate the urban | ||||||
24 | heat island effect. Limiting impervious surface, using | ||||||
25 | light colored impervious surfaces, and green roofs also | ||||||
26 | mitigate urban temperatures.
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1 | (6) Resilience to the Impacts of Climate Change. | ||||||
2 | Climate change impacts and effects vary regionally, but | ||||||
3 | green infrastructure techniques provide adaptation | ||||||
4 | benefits for a wide array of circumstances by conserving | ||||||
5 | and reusing water, promoting groundwater recharge, | ||||||
6 | reducing surface water discharges that could contribute to | ||||||
7 | flooding, and reducing storm water pollution and storm | ||||||
8 | water flows into combined sewers that trigger overflows.
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9 | (7) Climate Change Mitigation Benefits. Green | ||||||
10 | infrastructure reduces energy demands and, thus, | ||||||
11 | greenhouse gas emissions by reducing the amount of storm | ||||||
12 | water and related pollution needing treatment, reducing | ||||||
13 | the amount of potable water needed, providing thermal | ||||||
14 | insulation and shade for buildings, and mitigating the | ||||||
15 | urban heat island effect. Vegetation and wetlands also | ||||||
16 | provide carbon sequestration.
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17 | (8) Increased Energy Efficiency. By helping to lower | ||||||
18 | ambient temperatures and, when incorporated on and around | ||||||
19 | buildings, helping to shade and insulate buildings from | ||||||
20 | wide temperature swings, green infrastructure reduces the | ||||||
21 | energy needed for heating and cooling. Green roofs and | ||||||
22 | shade increase the life span of roofs, thus reducing the | ||||||
23 | need for production and transportation of conventional | ||||||
24 | roof materials. Energy use associated with pumping and | ||||||
25 | treating is reduced as storm water is diverted from | ||||||
26 | wastewater collection, conveyance, and treatment systems. |
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1 | Greater energy efficiency reduces costs and the generation | ||||||
2 | of greenhouse gases.
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3 | (9) Source Water Protection. Green infrastructure | ||||||
4 | practices provide pollutant removal benefits, thereby | ||||||
5 | providing protection for both ground water and surface | ||||||
6 | water sources of drinking water. In addition, green | ||||||
7 | infrastructure provides groundwater recharge benefits by | ||||||
8 | putting storm water back into the ground, and it enhances | ||||||
9 | surface water quality by redirecting the high volume and | ||||||
10 | velocity flows that scour stream banks and muddy drinking | ||||||
11 | water sources.
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12 | (10) Wildlife Habitat. Stream buffers, wetlands, | ||||||
13 | parks, meadows, and other forms of green infrastructure | ||||||
14 | increase biodiversity within the urban environment.
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15 | (11) Community Benefits. Trees and plants improve | ||||||
16 | urban aesthetics and community livability by providing | ||||||
17 | recreational and scenic wildlife areas. Studies show that | ||||||
18 | property values are higher, violence is reduced, and crime | ||||||
19 | is reduced when trees and other vegetation are present.
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20 | (12) Health Benefits. Studies show that people who have | ||||||
21 | access to the open space provided by green infrastructure | ||||||
22 | in their communities get more exercise, live longer, and | ||||||
23 | report better health in general. Exposure to green | ||||||
24 | infrastructure (even through a window) improves mental | ||||||
25 | functioning, reduces stress, and reduces recovery time | ||||||
26 | from surgery.
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1 | (13) Green Jobs. Designing, installing, and | ||||||
2 | maintaining green infrastructure creates new jobs for | ||||||
3 | architects, designers, engineers, construction workers, | ||||||
4 | maintenance workers, landscapers, nurseries, and related | ||||||
5 | services.
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6 | (14) Cost Savings. Green infrastructure saves (i) | ||||||
7 | capital costs associated with paving, constructing curbs | ||||||
8 | and gutters, building large collection and conveyance | ||||||
9 | systems, and digging big tunnels and centralized storm | ||||||
10 | water detention ponds; (ii) operating and maintenance | ||||||
11 | expenses for treatment plants, pumping stations, pipes, | ||||||
12 | and other hard infrastructure; (iii) energy costs for | ||||||
13 | pumping water; (iv) costs associated with treatment during | ||||||
14 | wet weather; and (v) costs of repairing the damage caused | ||||||
15 | by storm water, such as stream bank restoration and flood | ||||||
16 | damage.
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17 | Section 15. Performance standards and use of green | ||||||
18 | infrastructure. The Agency shall, by July 1, 2012, adopt | ||||||
19 | comprehensive storm water management rules incorporating the | ||||||
20 | following minimum requirements: | ||||||
21 | (a) Performance standards for private and public | ||||||
22 | land-disturbing activities, including development, | ||||||
23 | redevelopment, and significant maintenance, replacement, and | ||||||
24 | repair projects, that preserve to the greatest extent | ||||||
25 | practicable, minimum water quality standards, minimum |
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1 | detention release rates, and the pre-development groundwater | ||||||
2 | recharge and infiltration rates on site. | ||||||
3 | (b) A preference for the use of green infrastructure best | ||||||
4 | management practices, strategies, and techniques to comply | ||||||
5 | with the performance standards. | ||||||
6 | (c) A requirement to demonstrate, post-development, that | ||||||
7 | the storm water management practices implemented at the site | ||||||
8 | comply with the performance standards, and that | ||||||
9 | post-development peak discharge rates do not exceed | ||||||
10 | pre-development peak discharge rates. | ||||||
11 | Section 20. Permit fees. The Agency shall implement a storm | ||||||
12 | water permit fee program, effective in 2010, adequate to | ||||||
13 | support the adoption of storm water regulations as required | ||||||
14 | under Section 15, and the ongoing administration and | ||||||
15 | enforcement of those regulations, including funding for | ||||||
16 | education, guidance, and other services to assist the regulated | ||||||
17 | community in understanding and implementing green | ||||||
18 | infrastructure strategies and techniques. | ||||||
19 | Section 25. Green infrastructure portfolio standard goal. | ||||||
20 | The Agency shall establish a Statewide standard for storm water | ||||||
21 | management programs (similar to the Illinois "Renewable Energy | ||||||
22 | Portfolio Standard") to transition all such programs toward the | ||||||
23 | use of green infrastructure as the predominant strategy. Over a | ||||||
24 | period of years, the standard shall gradually increase the |
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1 | percentage of annual storm water runoff volume managed with | ||||||
2 | green infrastructure. | ||||||
3 | Section 30. Water Revolving Fund criteria. The Agency shall | ||||||
4 | review the rules on the distribution of money from the Water | ||||||
5 | Revolving Fund and endeavor to establish new criteria that | ||||||
6 | prioritize the use of green infrastructure in all projects | ||||||
7 | involving storm water management and water efficiency.
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