(615 ILCS 15/1) (from Ch. 19, par. 126a)
Sec. 1.
It is hereby recognized that the unregulated flow of the rivers and
waters of the State of Illinois constitutes a menace to the general
welfare of the people of this State, resulting in periods of destructive floods
upon the rivers and waters of Illinois, upsetting the orderly processes of
industry, agriculture and life in general, and causing loss of life and
property, including the erosion of lands, the impairment and obstruction of
their drainage, the impairment or destruction of surface water supplies for
domestic use, the impairment or destruction of navigation, highways,
railroads, and other channels of commerce within the State; and periods of
inadequate low water flows wherein the public water supplies of cities and
villages are dangerously reduced, facilities for public recreation are
rendered inadequate, and the propagation and conservation of wild life is
adversely affected.
It is the sense of this General Assembly that
regulation of the flood and low water flows of the rivers and waters of
Illinois is a proper activity of the State of Illinois, independently or in
cooperation with the United States government, State agencies, units
of local government and school districts; that investigations and
improvements of the rivers and
waters of Illinois, including the watersheds thereof, for the purpose of
control of flood and low water flows, are in the interest of the general
welfare of the People of Illinois; and that the State of Illinois should
improve or participate in the improvement of the rivers and waters,
including the watersheds thereof, for the purpose of regulating the flood
and low water flows and the development and utilization of water, waterways
and water resources if the benefits are in excess of the estimated costs,
and if the lives and general welfare of the People of Illinois are
adversely affected; except that for improvements limited to channelization,
the benefits need not necessarily exceed the estimated costs.
(Source: P.A. 85-141.)
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