BY DANI TIETZ
dani@sjodaily.com
New protections for the Mahomet Aquifer went into effect on Jan. 1.
Senate Bill 2027, proposed by Illinois State Senator Scott Bennett, directs the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) to prioritize landfills, especially those that have been unregulated or under-regulated, that sit above the Mahomet Aquifer and may pose a threat to surface water or groundwater resources.
Bennett used recommendations from the Mahomet Aquifer Protection Task Force, which was formed after a gas leak north of Mahomet in 2017, to write the new legislation.
“Considering the Mahomet Aquifer is the most important water source in east-central Illinois, I have worked frequently with the Mahomet Aquifer Task Force to ensure it is protected,” Bennett said. “They are a tremendous group to work with and now we can be assured that 500,000 people know the water coming out of their faucets is clean and safe to drink.”
The new law also seeks to establish a pilot program at the Pekin Metro Landfill to identify potential and current threats to the water quality of the Aquifer from the landfill.
