HR1475LRB099 23841 MST 51361 r

1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, More than half of Illinois residents receive their
3water from groundwater wells; this makes Illinois groundwater a
4valuable natural resource that needs to be protected; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Next to breathable air, groundwater may be the
6most important resource necessary for human life; and
 
7    WHEREAS, Agricultural irrigation is the single largest use
8of groundwater, nourishing much of the produce and livestock
9that fills our grocery stores; and
 
10    WHEREAS, Groundwater can be found beneath the surface
11virtually anywhere, making it possible to live in rural or even
12remote places where public water systems do not exist; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Groundwater makes it possible for ecosystems
14teeming with life to exist as it supplies plants and animals
15with life-giving water and often meets critical water needs in
16the midst of drought because of its abundance beneath the
17surface of the earth; and
 
18    WHEREAS, The National Ground Water Association (NGWA) and
19the Illinois Association of Groundwater Professionals (IAGP)
20encourages annual water well checkups in the spring before the

 

 

HR1475- 2 -LRB099 23841 MST 51361 r

1peak water use season begins; and
 
2    WHEREAS, An abandoned well as defined by the Illinois Water
3Well Construction Code is a water or monitoring well which is
4no longer used to supply water, or which is in such a state of
5disrepair that the well or boring has the potential for
6transmitting contaminants into an aquifer or otherwise
7threatens the public health or safety; furthermore, the code
8requires that an abandoned well be properly sealed within 30
9days after it is abandoned and no longer used; and
 
10    WHEREAS, IAGP encourages the Illinois Department of Public
11Health and local units of government to identify the number and
12location of abandoned wells; educate communities for the need
13for building demolition policies and procedures to include
14inspection for abandoned wells; provide evaluation processes
15to determine appropriateness of a well for non-potable use;
16support annual inspections by local government of well
17non-potable use; build awareness and raise funds to provide
18help and support well sealing; and recognize private wells as a
19viable means to reduce and conserve potable water for
20non-potable use; therefore, be it
 
21    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
22NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
23designate December 4-10, 2016 "Illinois Groundwater Awareness

 

 

HR1475- 3 -LRB099 23841 MST 51361 r

1Week"; and be it further
 
2    RESOLVED, That we urge the citizens of Illinois to observe
3the week by learning more about groundwater and its importance
4to lives and act in ways that value and protect the resource.