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| | HR1475 | | LRB099 23841 MST 51361 r |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| 2 | | WHEREAS, More than half of Illinois residents receive their
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| 3 | | water from groundwater wells; this makes Illinois groundwater a
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| 4 | | valuable natural resource that needs to be protected; and
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| 5 | | WHEREAS, Next to breathable air, groundwater may be the
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| 6 | | most important resource necessary for human life; and
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| 7 | | WHEREAS, Agricultural irrigation is the single largest use
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| 8 | | of groundwater, nourishing much of the produce and livestock
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| 9 | | that fills our grocery stores; and
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| 10 | | WHEREAS, Groundwater can be found beneath the surface
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| 11 | | virtually anywhere, making it possible to live in rural or even
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| 12 | | remote places where public water systems do not exist; and
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| 13 | | WHEREAS, Groundwater makes it possible for ecosystems
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| 14 | | teeming with life to exist as it supplies plants and animals
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| 15 | | with life-giving water and often meets critical water needs in
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| 16 | | the midst of drought because of its abundance beneath the
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| 17 | | surface of the earth; and
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| 18 | | WHEREAS, The National Ground Water Association (NGWA) and
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| 19 | | the Illinois Association of Groundwater Professionals (IAGP)
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| 20 | | encourages annual water well checkups in the spring before the
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| | HR1475 | - 2 - | LRB099 23841 MST 51361 r |
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| 1 | | peak water use season begins; and
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| 2 | | WHEREAS, An abandoned well as defined by the Illinois Water
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| 3 | | Well Construction Code is a water or monitoring well which is |
| 4 | | no
longer used to supply water, or which is in such a state of
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| 5 | | disrepair that the well or boring has the potential for
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| 6 | | transmitting contaminants into an aquifer or otherwise |
| 7 | | threatens
the public health or safety; furthermore, the code |
| 8 | | requires that an abandoned well be properly sealed within 30 |
| 9 | | days after it
is abandoned and no longer used; and
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| 10 | | WHEREAS, IAGP encourages the Illinois Department of Public
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| 11 | | Health and local units of government to identify the number and
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| 12 | | location of abandoned wells; educate communities for the need
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| 13 | | for building demolition policies and procedures to include
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| 14 | | inspection for abandoned wells; provide evaluation processes |
| 15 | | to
determine appropriateness of a well for non-potable use; |
| 16 | | support
annual inspections by local government of well |
| 17 | | non-potable use;
build awareness and raise funds to provide |
| 18 | | help and support well
sealing; and recognize private wells as a |
| 19 | | viable means to reduce
and conserve potable water for |
| 20 | | non-potable use; therefore, be it
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| 21 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE |
| 22 | | NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we |
| 23 | | designate December 4-10, 2016 "Illinois Groundwater Awareness |