Illinois General Assembly - Full Text of HB3739

LRB104 10714 BDA 20793 b

104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2025 and 2026
HB3739

Introduced 2/18/2025, by Rep. Nabeela Syed

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

415 ILCS 5/7.7 new
415 ILCS 55/9	from Ch. 111 1/2, par. 7459

Amends the Environmental Protection Act. Specifies that the Act shall not apply to non-community water supplies, except for purposes of: (1) the Environmental Protection Agency's implementation of the Safe Drinking Water Act; (2) the Pollution Control Board's adoption of rules that expressly pertain to non-community water supplies or all public water supplies; or (3) any provisions of the Act or rules adopted by the Board under the Act that are referenced in, or applicable to, non-community water supplies under the Illinois Groundwater Protection Act and rules adopted by the Department of Public Health under that Act. Amends the Illinois Groundwater Protection Act. Authorizes the imposition of administrative and civil penalties. Effective immediately.

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning safety.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Environmental Protection Act is amended by adding Section 7.7 as follows:

(415 ILCS 5/7.7 new)

Sec. 7.7. Applicability of Act to non-community water supplies. The requirements of this Act shall not apply to non-community water supplies, except for purposes of:

(1) the Agency's implementation of the Safe Drinking Water Act under subsection (l) of Section 4 of this Act;

(2) the Board's adoption of rules under subsection (c) of Section 5 of this Act, and amendments to those rules, that expressly pertain to non-community water supplies or all public water supplies;

(3) any provisions of this Act or rules adopted by the Board under this Act that are referenced in, or applicable to, non-community water supplies under the Illinois Groundwater Protection Act and rules adopted by the Department of Public Health under that Act.

Section 10. The Illinois Groundwater Protection Act is amended by changing Section 9 as follows:

(415 ILCS 55/9) (from Ch. 111 1/2, par. 7459)

Sec. 9. (a) As used in this Section, unless the context clearly requires otherwise:

(1) "Community water system" means a public water system which serves at least 15 service connections used by residents or regularly serves at least 25 residents for at least 60 days per year.

(2) "Contaminant" means any physical, chemical, biological, or radiological substance or matter in water.

(3) "Department" means the Illinois Department of Public Health.

(4) "Non-community water system" means a public water system which is not a community water system, and has at least 15 service connections used by nonresidents, or regularly serves 25 or more nonresident individuals daily for at least 60 days per year.

(4.5) "Non-transient, non-community water system" means a non-community water system that regularly serves the same 25 or more persons at least 6 months per year.

(5) "Private water system" means any supply which provides water for drinking, culinary, and sanitary purposes and serves an owner-occupied single family dwelling.

(6) "Public water system" means a system for the provision to the public of water for human consumption through pipes or other constructed conveyances, if the system has at least 15 service connections or regularly serves an average of at least 25 individuals daily at least 60 days per year. A public water system is either a community water system (CWS) or a non-community water system (non-CWS). The term "public water system" includes any collection, treatment, storage or distribution facilities under control of the operator of such system and used primarily in connection with such system and any collection or pretreatment storage facilities not under such control which are used primarily in connection with such system.

(7) "Semi-private water system" means a water supply which is not a public water system, yet which serves a segment of the public other than an owner-occupied single family dwelling.

(8) "Supplier of water" means any person who owns or operates a water system.

(b) No non-community water system may be constructed, altered, or extended until plans, specifications, and other information relative to such system are submitted to and reviewed by the Department for conformance with the rules promulgated under this Section, and until a permit for such activity is issued by the Department. As part of the permit application, all new non-transient, non-community water systems must demonstrate technical, financial, and managerial capacity consistent with the federal Safe Drinking Water Act.

(c) All private and semi-private water systems shall be constructed in accordance with the rules promulgated by the Department under this Section.

(d) The Department shall promulgate rules for the construction and operation of all non-community and semi-private water systems. Such rules shall include but need not be limited to: the establishment of maximum contaminant levels no more stringent than federally established standards where such standards exist; the maintenance of records; the establishment of requirements for the submission and frequency of submission of water samples by suppliers of water to determine the water quality; and the capacity demonstration requirements to ensure compliance with technical, financial, and managerial capacity provisions of the federal Safe Drinking Water Act.

(e) Borings, water monitoring wells, and wells subject to this Act shall, at a minimum, be abandoned and plugged in accordance with the requirements of Sections 16 and 19 of the Illinois Oil and Gas Act, and such rules as are promulgated thereunder. Nothing herein shall preclude the Department from adopting plugging and abandonment requirements which are more stringent than the rules of the Department of Natural Resources where necessary to protect the public health.

(f) The Department shall inspect all non-community water systems for the purpose of determining compliance with the provisions of this Section and the regulations promulgated hereunder.

(g) The Department may inspect semi-private and private water systems for the purpose of determining compliance with the provisions of this Section and the regulations promulgated hereunder.

(h) The supplier of water shall be given written notice of all violations of this Section or the rules promulgated hereunder and all such violations shall be corrected in a manner and time specified by the Department.

(i) The Department may conduct inspections to investigate the construction or water quality of non-community or semi-private water systems, or the construction of private water systems. Upon request of the owner or user, the Department may also conduct investigations of the water quality of private water systems.

(j) The supplier of water for a private, semi-private, or non-community water system shall allow the Department and its authorized agents access to such premises at all reasonable times for the purpose of inspection.

(k) The Department may designate full-time county or multiple-county health departments as its agents to facilitate the implementation of this Section.

(l) The Department shall promulgate and publish rules necessary for the enforcement of this Section.

(m) Whenever a non-community or semi-private water system fails to comply with an applicable maximum contaminant level at the point of use, the supplier of water shall give public notification by the conspicuous posting of notice of such failure as long as the failure continues. The notice shall be written in a manner reasonably designed to fully inform users of the system that a drinking water regulation has been violated, and shall disclose all material facts. All non-transient, non-community water systems must demonstrate technical, financial, and managerial capacity consistent with the federal Safe Drinking Water Act.

(n) The provisions of the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act, are hereby expressly adopted and shall apply to all administrative rules and procedures of the Department of Public Health under this Section, except that in case of conflict between the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act and this Section the provisions of this Section shall control; and except that Section 5-35 of the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act relating to procedures for rulemaking shall not apply to the adoption of any rule required by federal law in connection with which the Department is precluded by law from exercising any discretion.

(o) All final administrative decisions of the Department issued pursuant to this Section shall be subject to judicial review pursuant to the provisions of the Administrative Review Law and the rules adopted pursuant thereto. The term "administrative decision" is defined as in Section 3-101 of the Code of Civil Procedure.

(p) The Director, after notice and opportunity for hearing to the applicant, may deny, suspend, or revoke a permit in any case in which he or she finds that there has been a substantial failure to comply with the provisions of this Section or the standards, rules and regulations established by virtue thereof and may impose an administrative penalty of $1,000 for each violation. Each day's violation constitutes a separate offense.

Such notice shall be effected by certified mail or by personal service setting forth the particular reasons for the proposed action and fixing a date, not less than 15 days from the date of such mailing or service, at which time the applicant shall be given an opportunity to request hearing.

The hearing shall be conducted by the Director or by an individual designated in writing by the Director as Hearing Officer to conduct the hearing. On the basis of any such hearing, or upon default of the applicant, the Director shall make a determination specifying his or her findings and conclusions. A copy of such determination shall be sent by certified mail or served personally upon the applicant.

(q) The procedure governing hearings authorized by this Section shall be in accordance with rules promulgated by the Department. A full and complete record shall be kept of all proceedings, including the notice of hearing, complaint and all other documents in the nature of pleadings, written motions filed in the proceedings, and the report and orders of the Director and Hearing Officer. All testimony shall be reported but need not be transcribed unless review of the decision is sought pursuant to the Administrative Review Law. Copies of the transcript may be obtained by any interested party on payment of the cost of preparing such copies. The Director or Hearing Officer shall, upon his or her own motion or on the written request of any party to the proceeding, issue subpoenas requiring the attendance and the giving of testimony by witnesses, and subpoenas duces tecum requiring the production of books, papers, records or memoranda. All subpoenas and subpoenas duces tecum issued under the terms of this Section may be served by any person of legal age. The fees of witnesses for attendance and travel shall be the same as the fees of witnesses before the circuit courts of this State, such fees to be paid when the witness is excused from further attendance. When the witness is subpoenaed at the instance of the Director or Hearing Officer, such fees shall be paid in the same manner as other expenses of the Department, and when the witness is subpoenaed at the instance of any other party to any such proceeding, the Department may require that the cost of service of the subpoena or subpoena duces tecum and the fee of the witness be borne by the party at whose instance the witness is summoned. In such case, the Department, in its discretion, may require a deposit to cover the cost of such service and witness fees. A subpoena or subpoena duces tecum so issued shall be served in the same manner as a subpoena issued by a circuit court.

(r) Any circuit court of this State, upon the application of the Director or upon the application of any other party to the proceeding, may, in its discretion, compel the attendance of witnesses, the production of books, papers, records or memoranda and the giving of testimony before the Director or Hearing Officer conducting an investigation or holding a hearing authorized by this Section, by an attachment for contempt or otherwise, in the same manner as production of evidence may be compelled before the court.

(s) The Director or Hearing Officer, or any party in an investigation or hearing before the Department, may cause the depositions of witnesses within the State to be taken in the manner prescribed by law for like depositions in civil actions in courts of this State, and to that end compel the attendance of witnesses and the production of books, papers, records, or memoranda.

(t) Any person who violates this Section or any rule or regulation adopted by the Department, or who violates any determination or order of the Department under this Section, shall be guilty of a Class A misdemeanor and shall be fined a sum not less than $100 and shall be liable for a civil penalty of at least $1,000 for each violation. Each day's violation constitutes a separate offense. The State's Attorney of the county in which the violation occurs, or the Attorney General of the State of Illinois, may bring such actions in the name of the People of the State of Illinois; or may in addition to other remedies provided in this Section, bring action for an injunction to restrain such violation, or to enjoin the operation of any establishment.

(u) The State of Illinois, and all of its agencies, institutions, offices and subdivisions shall comply with all requirements, prohibitions and other provisions of this Section and regulations adopted thereunder.

(v) No agency of the State shall authorize, permit or license the construction or operation of any potential route, potential primary source, or potential secondary source, as those terms are defined in the Environmental Protection Act, in violation of any provision of this Section or the regulations adopted hereunder.

(w) This Section shall not apply to any water supply which is connected to a community water supply which is regulated under the Environmental Protection Act, except as provided in Section 9.1.

(Source: P.A. 92-369, eff. 8-15-01; 92-652, eff. 7-11-02.)

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.