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1
SENATE 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
6next most 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, Spring is a good season to have an annual water
19well checkup before the peak water use season begins according
20to the National Ground Water Association and the Illinois

 

 

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1Association of Groundwater Professionals (IAGP); and
 
2    WHEREAS, An abandoned well as defined by the Illinois Water
3Well Construction Code is a water or monitoring well that is no
4longer used to supply water, or that 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 in use; and
 
10    WHEREAS, The IAGP encourages the Illinois Department of
11Public Health and units of local government to identify the
12number and location of abandoned wells, educate communities of
13the need for building demolition policies and procedures to
14include inspection for abandoned wells, provide evaluation
15processes to determine appropriateness of well for non-potable
16use, support annual inspections by local government of well
17non-potable use, build awareness and raise funds to provide
18help and support well-sealing, and to recognize private wells
19as a viable means to reduce and conserve potable water for
20non-potable use; therefore, be it
 
21    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL
22ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we designate March
238-14, 2015 as "Illinois Groundwater Awareness Week"; and be it

 

 

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1further
 
2    RESOLVED, That we urge the Governor to issue a proclamation
3calling on the people of the great State of Illinois to observe
4the week by learning more about groundwater and its importance
5in peoples' lives and to encourage them to act in ways that
6value and protect this resource.