Section 704.286  Definitions

"State drinking water source assessment and protection program" is a new approach to protecting drinking water sources, specified in section 1453 of the 1996 Amendments to the Safe Drinking Water Act (42 USC 300j-13).

BOARD NOTE:  Under the federal requirements, states must prepare and submit for USEPA approval a program that sets out how each state must conduct local assessments, including the following: delineating the boundaries of areas providing source waters for public water systems; identifying significant potential sources of contaminants in such areas; and determining the susceptibility of public water systems in the delineated areas to the inventoried sources of contamination.  The Illinois Groundwater Protection Act and the regulations at 35 Ill. Adm. Code 620 adopted pursuant to that law and Sections 14.1 through 14.6 and 17.1 through 17.4 of the Environmental Protection Act and the regulations at 35 Ill. Adm. Code 615 through 617 adopted under those provisions are major segments of the required Illinois program.

"Complete local source water assessment for groundwater protection areas".  When USEPA has approved a state's drinking water source assessment and protection program, the state must begin to conduct local assessments for each public water system in that state.  For the purposes of this Subpart I, local assessments for community water systems and non-transient non-community systems are complete when the four following requirements are met:

The State must delineate the boundaries of the assessment area for community and non-transient non-community water systems, as such are defined in 35 Ill. Adm. Code 611.101;

The State must identify significant potential sources of contamination in these delineated areas;

The State must determine the susceptibility of community and non-transient non-community water systems in the delineated area to such contaminants; and

The Agency must make the completed assessments available to the public.

BOARD NOTE:  The Agency administers the "Illinois Source Water Assessment and Protection Program", which is intended to comply with the federal source water assessment requirements of SDWA Section 1453 (42 USC 300j-13).

"Groundwater protection area" is a geographic area near or surrounding a community or non-transient non-community water system, as defined in 35 Ill. Adm. Code 611.101, that uses groundwater as a source of drinking water.  For the purposes of this Subpart I, the Board considers a "setback zone", as defined in Section 3.450 of the Act and regulated pursuant to Sections 14.1 through 14.6 of the Act, to be a "groundwater protection area", as intended by corresponding 40 CFR 144.86(c).  (See 35 Ill. Adm. Code 615 and 616.)  These areas receive priority for the protection of drinking water supplies and federal law requires the State to delineate and assess these areas under section 1453 of the federal Safe Drinking Water Act, 42 USC 300j-13.  The additional requirements in Section 704.288 apply to an owner or operator if its Class V motor vehicle waste disposal well is in a groundwater protection area for either a community water system or a non-transient non-community water system.  

BOARD NOTE:  USEPA stated in corresponding 40 CFR 144.86(c) that in many states these areas will be the same as wellhead protection areas delineated as described in section 1428 of the federal SDWA (42 USC 300h-7).

"Community water system", as defined in 35 Ill. Adm. Code 611.101, is a public water system that serves at least 15 service connections used by year-round residents or which regularly serves at least 25 year-round residents.

"Non-transient, non-community water system", as defined in 35 Ill. Adm. Code 611.101, is a water system that is not a community water system and which regularly serves at least 25 of the same people over six months a year.  These may include systems that provide water to schools, day care centers, government or military installations, manufacturers, hospitals or nursing homes, office buildings, and other facilities.

"Delineation".  Once the State's drinking water source assessment and protection program is approved by USEPA, the State must begin delineating its local assessment areas.  "Delineation" is the first step in the assessment process in which the boundaries of groundwater protection areas are identified.

"Other sensitive groundwater areas".  The State may also identify other areas in the State in addition to groundwater protection areas that are critical to protecting USDWs from contamination.  For the purposes of this Subpart I, the Board considers a "regulated recharge area", as defined in Section 3.390 of the Act and regulated pursuant to Sections 17.1 through 17.4 of the Act, to be an "other sensitive groundwater area", as intended by corresponding 40 CFR 144.86(g).  (See 35 Ill. Adm. Code 615 through 617.)  These other sensitive groundwater areas may include areas such as areas overlying sole-source aquifers; highly productive aquifers supplying private wells; continuous and highly productive aquifers at points distant from public water supply wells; areas where water supply aquifers are recharged; karst aquifers that discharge to surface reservoirs serving as public water supplies; vulnerable or sensitive hydrogeologic settings, such as glacial outwash deposits, eolian sands, and fractured volcanic rock; and areas of special concern selected based on a combination of factors, such as hydrogeologic sensitivity, depth to groundwater, significance as a drinking water source, and prevailing land-use practices.

BOARD NOTE:  Derived from 40 CFR 144.86 (2017).

(Source:  Amended at 42 Ill. Reg. 21095, effective November 19, 2018)