(20 ILCS 830/1-2) (from Ch. 96 1/2, par. 9701-2)

Sec. 1-2. Legislative declaration. The General Assembly finds and determines that:

(a) In 1818, Illinois contained an estimated 8.2 million acres of wetlands. Based upon preliminary results of the Illinois portion of the National Wetlands Inventory, less than nine percent of the original acres remain.

(b) With the significant loss in acreage, a corresponding loss in the functional values and benefits that wetlands provide has occurred.

(c) Continued loss of Illinois' wetlands may deprive the people of this State of some or all of the benefits which they provide, including:

(1) reducing flood damages by absorbing, storing and conveying peak flows from storms;

(2) improving water quality by serving as sedimentation and filtering basins and as natural biological treatment areas;

(3) providing breeding, nesting, forage and protective habitat for approximately 40 percent of the State's threatened and endangered plants and animals, in addition to other forms of fish, wildlife, waterfowl and shorebirds;

(4) protecting underground water resources and helping to recharge rivers, streams and local or regional underground water supplies;

(5) serving as recreational areas for hunting, fishing, boating, hiking, bird watching, photography and other uses;

(6) providing open space and aesthetic values, particularly in rapidly developing areas;

(7) providing unique educational and research opportunities because of their high diversity of plants and animals, their support for a high incidence of threatened and endangered species, and their function as a natural buffer for rivers, lakes and streams;

(8) supplying nutrients in freshwater food cycles and serving as nursery areas and sanctuaries for young fish; and

(9) helping to protect shorelines from the forces of water erosion.

(Source: P.A. 86-157.)