Bill backed by Will County lawmakers seeks to boost groundwater monitoring

Gov. JB Pritzker recently signed into law a bill aimed at increasing monitoring of groundwater near quarry fill sites.

The bill allocates funding to expand teams of inspectors tasked with monitoring clean construction and demolition debris facilities, according to a news release. The increased monitoring and testing facilitated by the legislation would ensure contaminants are kept out of groundwater where clean construction demolition debris is dumped.

State Sen. John Connor, D-Lockport, and Rep. Dagamara Avelar, D-Bolingbrook, sponsored the bill in the General Assembly.

“It is our responsibility to be careful stewards of our natural resources so that we are able to hand down communities that will continue to grow and thrive,” Connor said in a statement. “This legislation will help to ensure that Illinoisans will have clean drinking water for years to come.”

Concerns of contaminants have been especially prevalent in Will County, with many residents in unincorporated areas relying on groundwater near quarries.

“It is our job as legislators and residents of Illinois, to make sure our groundwater stays safe and clean,” Avelar said in a statement. “Our Earth is slowly deteriorating so it is critical that legislators throughout the country find legislation that benefits both the environment and state. I believe House Bill 653 does both of those things.”

The law Pritzker signed on Friday will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2022.