HR1110 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1110 LRB098 21358 GRL 59658 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The Mahomet Aquifer is an aquifer located in east-central Illinois; the aquifer covers an area of over 4,000 square miles in Champaign, DeWitt, Ford, Iroquois, Logan, Macon, McLean, Piatt, Sangamon, Tazewell, and Vermilion counties; and

WHEREAS, The Mahomet Aquifer is a vital source of drinking water for the residents of east-central Illinois, as well as a source for irrigation and industrial use water; and

WHEREAS, The Mahomet Aquifer supplies, on average, 340 million gallons per day of clean consumable water; and

WHEREAS, The population of east-central Illinois residents who depend on the Mahomet Aquifer is expected to grow from a current total of 100,000 to 900,000 by 2050; and

WHEREAS, Any pollution or contamination of the water of the Mahomet Aquifer would be detrimental to all of the residents of east-central Illinois; and

WHEREAS, The United States Environmental Protection Agency is responsible for designating aquifers as Sole Source Aquifers, which helps to protect aquifers from federally-funded projects that may contaminate groundwater; and

WHEREAS, The Mahomet Aquifer is too important of a source of consumable water for the residents of east-central Illinois to be compromised by potential contamination; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we urge the United States Environmental Protection Agency to classify the Mahomet Aquifer as a Sole Source Aquifer in order protect the residents of east-central Illinois and ensure they have clean drinking water for future generations; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution are presented to United States Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 Coordinator William Spaulding, the members of the Illinois congressional delegation, and the Governor.