HR0319 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0319 LRB099 11597 GRL 33322 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The Mahomet Aquifer system is an underground layer of water-bearing sand and gravel that fills a wide bedrock valley in all or parts of 14 east-central Illinois counties; the aquifer system is the source of approximately 53 million gallons of water every year for 120 public water systems and thousands of rural wells that serve about 500,000 people; and

WHEREAS, More than half of the population in east-central Illinois relies on the Mahomet Aquifer system as a source of their drinking water; and

WHEREAS, On March 11, 2015, the United States Environmental Protection Agency designated a portion of the Mahomet Aquifer system as a Sole Source Aquifer; this designation requires the Environmental Protection Agency to review any projects within the designated area that receive federal funding to assess the likelihood of potential contamination; and

WHEREAS, This designation will ensure that the aquifer remains unpolluted and that the water contained within can be utilized by the residents of the area indefinitely; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we thank the United States Environmental Protection Agency for classifying the Mahomet Aquifer as a Sole Source Aquifer and applaud the agency's efforts to protect vital sources of water for Illinois residents; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be delivered to United States Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 Coordinator William Spaulding.