The members of the Illinois Senate have approved a plan to create a permanent council to safeguard the future of the Mahomet Aquifer, according to State Sen. Chapin Rose (R-Mahomet).
“This is an important step in our efforts to protect the state’s only sole-source aquifer and safeguard the drinking water for thousands of Illinoisans,” said Rose. “The important thing here is to make sure that we have a group of people that can focus on what is best for the aquifer and how we can protect it from many of the threats that we’ve seen in recent years.”
Rose’s legislation, Senate Bill 2515, creates the Mahomet Aquifer Council, which would be made up of representatives from government bodies and various stakeholders.
The members of the council would be tasked with reviewing, evaluating, and making recommendations to improve state laws, regulations, and procedures in order to protect the Mahomet Aquifer. The council would make recommendations relating to actions that could be taken to ensure the long-term protection of the Mahomet Aquifer.
“The Mahomet Aquifer supplies clean drinking water to more than 500,000 Illinoisans,” Rose concluded. “I feel that we can always do better in our efforts to protect the aquifer and this is an effort to do just that.”
Rose’s legislation passed the Illinois Senate on April 21 and is now headed to the House for consideration in that chamber.
