510 ILCS 77/15

(510 ILCS 77/15)

Sec. 15. Livestock waste lagoon.

(a) Standards for livestock waste lagoon construction. Any earthen livestock waste lagoon subject to registration shall be constructed or modified in accordance with "Design of Anaerobic Lagoons for Animal Waste Management" promulgated by the American Society of Agricultural Engineers or the national guidelines as published by the United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resource Conservation Service in Illinois and titled Waste Treatment Lagoon. The owner or operator of the earthen livestock lagoon may, with approval from the Department, modify or exceed these standards in order to meet site specific objectives. Notwithstanding any other requirement of this subsection, every earthen livestock waste lagoon shall include the construction of a secondary berm, filter strip, grass waterway, or terrace, or any combination of those, outside the perimeter of the primary berm if an engineer licensed under the Professional Engineering Practice Act of 1989 and retained by the registrant determines, with the concurrence of the Department, that construction of such a secondary berm or other feature or features is necessary in order to ensure against a release of livestock waste from the lagoon (i) that encroaches or is reasonably expected to encroach upon land other than the land occupied by the livestock waste handling facility of which the lagoon is a part or (ii) that enters or is reasonably expected to enter the waters of this State. The Department shall determine compliance with these requirements. The Department may require changes in design or additional requirements to protect groundwater, such as extra liner depth or synthetic liners, when it appears groundwater could be impacted.

(a-5) New earthen livestock waste lagoons constructed after the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1999 shall be subject to additional construction requirements and siting prohibitions as provided in this subsection (a-5).

(1) No new earthen livestock waste lagoon may be constructed within the floodway of a 100-year floodplain. A new earthen livestock waste lagoon may be constructed within the portion of a 100-year floodplain that is within the flood fringe and outside the floodway provided that the facility is designed and constructed so that livestock waste is not readily removed during flooding and meets the requirements set forth in the Rivers, Lakes, and Streams Act, Section 5-40001 of the Counties Code, and Executive Order Number 4 (1979). The delineation of floodplains, floodways, and flood fringes shall be in compliance with the National Flood Insurance Program.

(2) A new earthen livestock waste lagoon constructed in a karst area shall be designed to prevent seepage of the stored material to groundwater. Owners or operators of proposed facilities shall consult with the local soil and water conservation district, the University of Illinois Cooperative Extension Service, or other local, county, or State resources relative to determining the possible presence or absence of such areas. Notwithstanding the other provisions of this paragraph (2), after the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1999, no earthen livestock waste lagoon may be constructed within 400 feet of any natural depression in a karst area formed as a result of subsurface removal of soil or rock materials that has caused the formation of a collapse feature that exhibits internal drainage. For the purposes of this paragraph (2), the existence of such natural depression in a karst area shall be indicated by the uppermost closed depression contour lines on a USGS 7 1/2 minute quadrangle topographic map or as determined by Department field investigation in a karst area.

(b) Registration and certification. Any earthen livestock waste lagoon newly constructed or modified (does not include repairs) after the effective date of rules adopted for the implementation of this Act shall be registered by the owner or operator with the Department on a form provided by the Department. Lagoons constructed prior to the effective date of rules adopted for the implementation of this Act may register with the Department at no charge.

In order to give the Department notice of the owner's or operator's intent to construct or modify an earthen livestock waste lagoon, the owner or operator shall register such lagoon with the Department during the preconstruction phase. Construction shall not begin until 30 days after submittal of a registration form by certified mail to the Department. When an informational meeting is requested by the county, construction shall not begin until after the informational meeting has been held.

Livestock waste lagoon registration forms shall be made available to producers at offices of the Department of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service, and Soil and Water Conservation Districts.

Registration information shall include the following:

(1) Name(s) and address(es) of the owner and operator who are responsible for the livestock waste lagoon.

(2) General location of lagoon.

(3) Design construction plans and specifications.

(4) Specific location information:

(A) Distance to a private or public potable well;

(B) Distance to closest occupied private residence (other than any occupied by owner or operator);

(C) Distance to nearest stream; and

(D) Distance to nearest populated area.

(5) Anticipated beginning and ending dates of construction.

(6) Type of livestock and number of animal units.

The Department of Agriculture upon receipt of a livestock waste lagoon registration form shall review the form to determine that all required information has been provided. The person filing the registration shall be notified within 15 working days that the registration is complete or that clarification of information is needed. No later than 10 working days after receipt of the clarification information, the Department shall notify the owner or operator that the registration is complete.

The Department shall inspect an earthen livestock waste lagoon during preconstruction, construction, and post-construction. The Department shall require modifications when necessary to bring construction in compliance with the standards as set forth in subsection (a) of Section 15. The person making the inspection shall discuss with the owner, operator, or certified livestock manager an evaluation of the livestock waste lagoon construction and shall (i) provide on-site written recommendations to the owner, operator, or certified livestock manager of what modifications are necessary or (ii) inform the owner, operator, or certified livestock manager that the lagoon meets the standards set forth in subsection (a) of Section 15. On the day of the inspection, the person making the inspection shall give the owner, operator, or certified livestock manager a written report of his or her findings based on the inspection, together with an explanation of any remedial measures necessary to enable the lagoon to meet the standards set forth in subsection (a).

The person making any inspection shall comply with reasonable animal health protection procedures as requested by the owner, operator, or certified livestock manager.

Upon completion of the construction or modification, but prior to placing the lagoon in service, the owner or operator of the livestock waste lagoon shall certify on a form provided by the Department that the lagoon has been constructed or modified in accordance with the standards set forth in subsection (a) of Section 15 and that the information provided on the registration form is correct.

(1) The certification notice to the Department shall include a certification statement and signature.

(2) The certification shall state: "I hereby certify that the information provided on this form is correct and that the lagoon has been constructed in accordance with the standards as required by the Livestock Management Facilities Act."

Within 10 business days of receipt of the certification of compliance, the Department shall inspect the lagoon site. The Department shall, within 5 business days of the date of inspection, send an official written notice by certified mail, return receipt requested, to the owner or operator of the facility indicating that all the requirements of this Section have been met or that deficiencies exist that must be corrected prior to the completion of the lagoon registration process and the placement of the lagoon into service. The owner or operator of the lagoon may proceed to place the lagoon in service after receipt of the Department's notice that all the requirements of this Section have been met.

(c) Complaint procedure. Any person having a complaint concerning an earthen livestock waste lagoon may file a complaint with the Agency. If the Agency finds that groundwater has been negatively impacted because of structural problems with the earthen lagoon, the Agency shall notify the Department that modification of the lagoon is necessary. The livestock owner or operator or the Department may request guidance from the United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resource Conservation Service or the University of Illinois Cooperative Extension Service.

The person making any inspection shall comply with animal health protection procedures as requested by the owner or operator.

Any earthen livestock waste lagoon in service prior to the effective date of the rules for implementation of this Act is not subject to registration but is only subject to the complaint procedure. However, any such livestock waste lagoon found impacting groundwater shall be required to be repaired, modified, or have procedures instituted so groundwater is not negatively impacted.

If an investigation reveals groundwater has been negatively impacted, the Department and Agency shall cooperate with the owner or operator of the affected livestock waste lagoon to provide a reasonable solution to protect the groundwater.

Nothing in this Section shall limit the Agency's authority under the Environmental Protection Act to investigate and respond to violations of the Environmental Protection Act or rules adopted under that Act.

(d) Livestock waste lagoon registration fee. The livestock waste lagoon registration fee is $250.

(e) Closure of livestock waste lagoons. When any earthen livestock waste lagoon is removed from service, it shall be completely emptied. Appropriate closure procedures shall be followed as determined by rule. The remaining hole must be filled. The closure requirements shall be completed within two years from the date of cessation of operation unless the lagoon is maintained or serviced. The Department may grant a waiver to the before-stated closure requirements that will permit the lagoon to be used for an alternative purpose.

Upon a change in ownership of a registered earthen livestock waste lagoon, the owner shall notify the Department of the change within 30 working days of the closing of the transaction.

(f) Administrative authority. All actions of the Department of Agriculture are subject to the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act.

Any earthen livestock waste lagoon subject to registration shall not begin operation until the owner or operator of the lagoon has met the requirements of this Act.

The owner or operator of any earthen livestock waste lagoon subject to registration that has not been registered or constructed in accordance with standards set forth in subsection (a) of Section 15 shall, upon being identified as such by the Department, be given written notice by the Department to register and certify the lagoon within 10 working days of receipt of the notice. The Department may inspect such lagoon and require compliance in accordance with subsections (a) and (b) of this Section. If the owner or operator of the livestock waste lagoon that is subject to registration fails to comply with the notice, the Department may issue a cease and desist order until such time as compliance is obtained with the requirements of this Act. Failure to construct the lagoon in accordance with the construction plan and Department recommendations is a business offense punishable by a fine of not more than $5,000.

(Source: P.A. 90-565, eff. 6-1-98; 91-110, eff. 7-13-99.)