HR1475 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1475 LRB099 23841 MST 51361 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, More than half of Illinois residents receive their water from groundwater wells; this makes Illinois groundwater a valuable natural resource that needs to be protected; and

WHEREAS, Next to breathable air, groundwater may be the most important resource necessary for human life; and

WHEREAS, Agricultural irrigation is the single largest use of groundwater, nourishing much of the produce and livestock that fills our grocery stores; and

WHEREAS, Groundwater can be found beneath the surface virtually anywhere, making it possible to live in rural or even remote places where public water systems do not exist; and

WHEREAS, Groundwater makes it possible for ecosystems teeming with life to exist as it supplies plants and animals with life-giving water and often meets critical water needs in the midst of drought because of its abundance beneath the surface of the earth; and

WHEREAS, The National Ground Water Association (NGWA) and the Illinois Association of Groundwater Professionals (IAGP) encourages annual water well checkups in the spring before the peak water use season begins; and

WHEREAS, An abandoned well as defined by the Illinois Water Well Construction Code is a water or monitoring well which is no longer used to supply water, or which is in such a state of disrepair that the well or boring has the potential for transmitting contaminants into an aquifer or otherwise threatens the public health or safety; furthermore, the code requires that an abandoned well be properly sealed within 30 days after it is abandoned and no longer used; and

WHEREAS, IAGP encourages the Illinois Department of Public Health and local units of government to identify the number and location of abandoned wells; educate communities for the need for building demolition policies and procedures to include inspection for abandoned wells; provide evaluation processes to determine appropriateness of a well for non-potable use; support annual inspections by local government of well non-potable use; build awareness and raise funds to provide help and support well sealing; and recognize private wells as a viable means to reduce and conserve potable water for non-potable use; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we designate December 4-10, 2016 "Illinois Groundwater Awareness Week"; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we urge the citizens of Illinois to observe the week by learning more about groundwater and its importance to lives and act in ways that value and protect the resource.