415 ILCS 5/12

(415 ILCS 5/12) (from Ch. 111 1/2, par. 1012)

(Text of Section before amendment by P.A. 103-801)

Sec. 12. Actions prohibited. No person shall:

(a) Cause or threaten or allow the discharge of any contaminants into the environment in any State so as to cause or tend to cause water pollution in Illinois, either alone or in combination with matter from other sources, or so as to violate regulations or standards adopted by the Pollution Control Board under this Act.

(b) Construct, install, or operate any equipment, facility, vessel, or aircraft capable of causing or contributing to water pollution, or designed to prevent water pollution, of any type designated by Board regulations, without a permit granted by the Agency, or in violation of any conditions imposed by such permit.

(c) Increase the quantity or strength of any discharge of contaminants into the waters, or construct or install any sewer or sewage treatment facility or any new outlet for contaminants into the waters of this State, without a permit granted by the Agency.

(d) Deposit any contaminants upon the land in such place and manner so as to create a water pollution hazard.

(e) Sell, offer, or use any article in any area in which the Board has by regulation forbidden its sale, offer, or use for reasons of water pollution control.

(f) Cause, threaten or allow the discharge of any contaminant 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 point source within the State, without an NPDES permit for point source discharges issued by the Agency under Section 39(b) of this Act, or in violation of any term or condition imposed by such permit, or in violation of any NPDES permit filing requirement established under Section 39(b), or in violation of any regulations adopted by the Board or of any order adopted by the Board with respect to the NPDES program.

No permit shall be required under this subsection and under Section 39(b) of this Act for any discharge for which a permit is not required under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, as now or hereafter amended, and regulations pursuant thereto.

For all purposes of this Act, a permit issued by the Administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency under Section 402 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, as now or hereafter amended, shall be deemed to be a permit issued by the Agency pursuant to Section 39(b) of this Act. However, this shall not apply to the exclusion from the requirement of an operating permit provided under Section 13(b)(i).

Compliance with the terms and conditions of any permit issued under Section 39(b) of this Act shall be deemed compliance with this subsection except that it shall not be deemed compliance with any standard or effluent limitation imposed for a toxic pollutant injurious to human health.

In any case where a permit has been timely applied for pursuant to Section 39(b) of this Act but final administrative disposition of such application has not been made, it shall not be a violation of this subsection to discharge without such permit unless the complainant proves that final administrative disposition has not been made because of the failure of the applicant to furnish information reasonably required or requested in order to process the application.

(g) Cause, threaten or allow the underground injection of contaminants without a UIC permit issued by the Agency under Section 39(d) of this Act, or in violation of any term or condition imposed by such permit, or in violation of any regulations or standards adopted by the Board or of any order adopted by the Board with respect to the UIC program.

No permit shall be required under this subsection and under Section 39(d) of this Act for any underground injection of contaminants for which a permit is not required under Part C of the Safe Drinking Water Act (P.L. 93-523), as amended, unless a permit is authorized or required under regulations adopted by the Board pursuant to Section 13 of this Act.

(h) Introduce contaminants into a sewage works from any nondomestic source except in compliance with the regulations and standards adopted by the Board under this Act.

(i) Beginning January 1, 2013 or 6 months after the date of issuance of a general NPDES permit for surface discharging private sewage disposal systems by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency or by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, whichever is later, construct or install a surface discharging private sewage disposal system that discharges into the waters of the United States, as that term is used in the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, unless he or she has a coverage letter under a NPDES permit issued by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency or by the United States Environmental Protection Agency or he or she is constructing or installing the surface discharging private sewage disposal system in a jurisdiction in which the local public health department has a general NPDES permit issued by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency or by the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the surface discharging private sewage disposal system is covered under the general NPDES permit.

(Source: P.A. 96-801, eff. 1-1-10; 97-1081, eff. 8-24-12.)

(Text of Section after amendment by P.A. 103-801)

Sec. 12. Actions prohibited. No person shall:

(a) Cause or threaten or allow the discharge of any contaminants into the environment in any State so as to cause or tend to cause water pollution in Illinois, either alone or in combination with matter from other sources, or so as to violate regulations or standards adopted by the Pollution Control Board under this Act. Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, compliance with the terms and conditions of a permit issued under Section 39(b) of the Act for a permit that authorizes reuse of wastewater for irrigation shall be deemed compliance with this subsection.

(b) Construct, install, or operate any equipment, facility, vessel, or aircraft capable of causing or contributing to water pollution, or designed to prevent water pollution, of any type designated by Board regulations, without a permit granted by the Agency, or in violation of any conditions imposed by such permit.

(c) Increase the quantity or strength of any discharge of contaminants into the waters, or construct or install any sewer or sewage treatment facility or any new outlet for contaminants into the waters of this State, without a permit granted by the Agency.

(d) Deposit any contaminants upon the land in such place and manner so as to create a water pollution hazard.

(e) Sell, offer, or use any article in any area in which the Board has by regulation forbidden its sale, offer, or use for reasons of water pollution control.

(f) Cause, threaten or allow the discharge of any contaminant 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 point source within the State, without an NPDES permit for point source discharges issued by the Agency under Section 39(b) of this Act, or in violation of any term or condition imposed by such permit, or in violation of any NPDES permit filing requirement established under Section 39(b), or in violation of any regulations adopted by the Board or of any order adopted by the Board with respect to the NPDES program.

No permit shall be required under this subsection and under Section 39(b) of this Act for any discharge for which a permit is not required under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, as now or hereafter amended, and regulations pursuant thereto.

For all purposes of this Act, a permit issued by the Administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency under Section 402 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, as now or hereafter amended, shall be deemed to be a permit issued by the Agency pursuant to Section 39(b) of this Act. However, this shall not apply to the exclusion from the requirement of an operating permit provided under Section 13(b)(i).

Compliance with the terms and conditions of any permit issued under Section 39(b) of this Act shall be deemed compliance with this subsection except that it shall not be deemed compliance with any standard or effluent limitation imposed for a toxic pollutant injurious to human health.

In any case where a permit has been timely applied for pursuant to Section 39(b) of this Act but final administrative disposition of such application has not been made, it shall not be a violation of this subsection to discharge without such permit unless the complainant proves that final administrative disposition has not been made because of the failure of the applicant to furnish information reasonably required or requested in order to process the application.

(g) Cause, threaten or allow the underground injection of contaminants without a UIC permit issued by the Agency under Section 39(d) of this Act, or in violation of any term or condition imposed by such permit, or in violation of any regulations or standards adopted by the Board or of any order adopted by the Board with respect to the UIC program.

No permit shall be required under this subsection and under Section 39(d) of this Act for any underground injection of contaminants for which a permit is not required under Part C of the Safe Drinking Water Act (P.L. 93-523), as amended, unless a permit is authorized or required under regulations adopted by the Board pursuant to Section 13 of this Act.

(h) Introduce contaminants into a sewage works from any nondomestic source except in compliance with the regulations and standards adopted by the Board under this Act.

(i) Beginning January 1, 2013 or 6 months after the date of issuance of a general NPDES permit for surface discharging private sewage disposal systems by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency or by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, whichever is later, construct or install a surface discharging private sewage disposal system that discharges into the waters of the United States, as that term is used in the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, unless he or she has a coverage letter under a NPDES permit issued by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency or by the United States Environmental Protection Agency or he or she is constructing or installing the surface discharging private sewage disposal system in a jurisdiction in which the local public health department has a general NPDES permit issued by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency or by the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the surface discharging private sewage disposal system is covered under the general NPDES permit.

(Source: P.A. 103-801, eff. 1-1-25.)