415 ILCS 5/14.3

(415 ILCS 5/14.3) (from Ch. 111 1/2, par. 1014.3)

Sec. 14.3. Community water supply; maximum setback zone. A maximum setback zone may be established for a community water supply well as follows:

(a) Owners of community water supplies which utilize any water well, or any county or municipality served by any community water supply well, may determine the lateral area of influence of the well under normal operational conditions. The Agency shall adopt procedures by which such determinations may be made including, where appropriate, pumping tests and estimation techniques.

(b) Where the results of any determination made pursuant to subsection (a) of this Section disclose that the distance from the well to the outermost boundary of the lateral area of influence of the well under normal operational conditions exceeds the radius of the minimum setback zone established for that well pursuant to Section 14.2, any county or municipality served by such water supply may in writing request the Agency to review and confirm the technical adequacy of such determination. The Agency shall, within 90 days of the request, notify the county or municipality whether the determination is technically adequate for describing the outer boundary of drawdown of the affected groundwater by the well under normal operational conditions. Any action by the Agency hereunder shall be in writing and shall constitute a final determination of the Agency.

(c) Upon receipt of Agency confirmation of the technical adequacy of such determination, the county or municipality may, after notice and opportunity for comment, adopt an ordinance setting forth the location of each affected well and specifying the boundaries of a maximum setback zone, which boundaries may be irregular. In no event, however, shall any portion of such a boundary be in excess of 1,000 feet from the wellhead, except as provided by subsection (f) of this Section. Such ordinance shall include the area within the applicable minimum setback zone and shall incorporate requirements which are consistent with but not more stringent than the prohibitions of this Act and the regulations promulgated by the Board under Section 14.4, except as provided by subsection (f) of this Section. Upon adoption, the county or municipality shall provide a copy of the ordinance to the Agency. Any county or municipality which fails to adopt such an ordinance within 2 years of receipt of Agency confirmation of technical adequacy may not proceed under the authority of this Section without obtaining a new confirmation of the technical adequacy pursuant to subsection (b) of this Section.

(d) After July 1, 1989, and upon written notice to the county or municipality, the Agency may propose to the Board a regulation establishing a maximum setback zone for any well subject to this Section. Such proposal shall be based upon all reasonably available hydrogeologic information, include the justification for expanding the zone of wellhead protection, and specify the boundaries of such zone, no portion of which boundaries shall be in excess of 1,000 feet from the wellhead. Such justification may include the need to protect a sole source of public water supply or a highly vulnerable source of groundwater, or an Agency finding that the presence of potential primary or potential secondary sources or potential routes represents a significant hazard to the public health or the environment. The Agency may proceed with the filing of such a proposal unless the county or municipality, within 30 days of the receipt of the written notice, files a written request for a conference with the Agency. Upon receipt of such a request, the Agency shall schedule a conference to be held within 90 days thereafter. At the conference, the Agency shall inform the county or municipality regarding the proposal. Within 30 days after the conference, the affected unit of local government may provide written notice to the Agency of its intent to establish a maximum setback zone in lieu of the Agency acting on a proposal. Upon receipt of such a notice of intent, the Agency may not file a proposal with the Board for a period of 6 months. Rulemaking proceedings initiated by the Agency under this subsection shall be conducted by the Board pursuant to Title VII of this Act, except that subsection (b) of Section 27 shall not apply.

Nothing in this Section shall be construed as limiting the general authority of the Board to promulgate regulations pursuant to Title VII of this Act. Nothing in this subsection shall limit the right of any person to participate in rulemaking proceedings conducted by the Board under this subsection.

(e) Except as provided in subsection (c) of Section 14.2, no new potential primary source shall be placed within the maximum setback zone established for any community water supply well pursuant to subsection (c) or (d) of this Section. Nothing in this subsection shall be construed as limiting the power of any county or municipality to adopt ordinances which are consistent with but not more stringent than the prohibition as stated herein.

(f) If an active community water supply well is withdrawing groundwater from within the alluvial deposits and is located within 1000 feet of public waters, the boundaries of a maximum setback zone adopted by ordinance pursuant to subsection (c) may be established to a distance of 2,500 feet from the wellhead. No new potential route shall be placed, operated or utilized within the maximum setback zone established for any community water supply well pursuant to this subsection. Restrictions provided in subsection (e) shall not be applied beyond 1,000 feet from the wellhead for maximum setback zones adopted pursuant to this subsection. An ordinance which creates a maximum setback zone as described by this subsection shall also be consistent with subsections (a), (b) and (c) of this Section, including incorporation of requirements which are consistent with but no more stringent than the prohibitions of this Act. For purposes of this subsection, the term "public waters" means public waters as defined in Section 18 of the Rivers, Lakes, and Streams Act, as now or hereafter amended.

(Source: P.A. 92-574, eff. 6-26-02.)