Public Act 098-0858
 
SB2966 EnrolledLRB098 18011 MGM 53137 b

    AN ACT concerning safety.
 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
 
    Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Urban
Flooding Awareness Act.
 
    Section 5. Definitions. As used in this Act, "urban
flooding" means the inundation of property in a built
environment, particularly in more densely populated areas,
caused by rainfall overwhelming the capacity of drainage
systems, such as storm sewers. "Urban flooding" does not
include flooding in undeveloped or agricultural areas. "Urban
flooding" includes (i) situations in which stormwater enters
buildings through windows, doors, or other openings, (ii) water
backup through sewer pipes, showers, toilets, sinks, and floor
drains, (iii) seepage through walls and floors, and (iv) the
accumulation of water on property or public rights-of-way.
 
    Section 10. Urban Flooding Study. By June 30, 2015, the
Department of Natural Resources, in consultation with the
Illinois Emergency Management Agency, the Illinois
Environmental Protection Agency, the Illinois Housing
Development Authority, the Department of Commerce and Economic
Development, the Department of Insurance, the Federal
Emergency Management Agency, the Metropolitan Water
Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, the Illinois State
Water Survey of the University of Illinois, and other State,
regional, and local storm water management agencies, thought
leaders, and interested parties as the Director of Natural
Resources deems appropriate, shall submit to the General
Assembly and the Governor a report that reviews and evaluates
the latest available information, research, laws, regulations,
policies, procedures, and institutional knowledge, with
recommendations based on the findings in relation to:
    (1) the prevalence and costs associated with urban flooding
events across the State, and the trends in frequency and
severity over the past two decades;
    (2) the apparent impact of global climate change on urban
flooding;
    (3) the impacts of county stormwater programs on urban
flooding over the past 2 decades, including a listing of
projects and programs and the flood damages avoided;
    (4) an evaluation of policies, such as using the 100-year
storm as the standard for designing urban stormwater detention
infrastructure and the 10-year storm for the design of
stormwater conveyance systems;
    (5) a review of technology to evaluate the risk of property
damage from urban flooding and whether a property is in or
adjacent to a 1% (100-year) floodplain or not, including LiDAR
and geographic information systems;
    (6) strategies for minimizing damage to property from urban
flooding, with a focus on rapid, low-cost approaches, such as
non-structural and natural infrastructure, and methods for
financing them;
    (7) the consistency of the criteria for State funding of
flood control projects between the Department of Natural
Resources, Illinois Emergency Management Agency, and the
Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Development;
    (8) strategies for increasing participation in the
National Flood Insurance Program and Community Rating System;
and
    (9) strategies and practices to increase the availability,
affordability and effectiveness of flood insurance and
basement back-up insurance.
 
    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
becoming law.