Illinois Section AWWA – Water Utility Council
Legislative Update – August 25, 2011
Jerry Bever, WUC Chair

You Win Some and Then You Win Some More!

Water Utility Council Has Positive Impact on Legislation.

The Illinois Section AWWA’s Water Utility Council (WUC) monitors and responds to legislation that may affect water utilities within our state. The WUC worked closely with legislators and stakeholders to positively impact this new legislation. The following link is a press release by Governor Quinn’s office regarding three of the bills that the WUC worked on this past year.

http://www.illinois.gov/PressReleases/PressReleasesListShow.cfm?RecNum=9678

CHICAGO -- Gov. Pat Quinn has signed three bills he says will help conserve and protect drinking water in the state.

One bill allows recycled, treated wastewater to be used for purposes that don't include consumption, such as watering golf courses or parks. Experts say this would save drinking water used for the same purposes.

Two other bills that Quinn signed Wednesday deal with safely disposing of pharmaceuticals and prescription medicines to keep them out of the water system. The first of these bills, creating a pharmaceutical collection and disposal program, is a result of efforts by students at high schools in Pontiac and Antioch. The final bill will allow municipalities to display containers to collect used, expired or unwanted medications.

House Bill 248 allows the North Shore Sanitary District to sell gray water for non-potable use. The original bill raised numerous concerns for the protection of the public coming in contact with the gray water, and the protection of source water that may come in contact with the gray water. The WUC worked with Senator Susan Garrett and other legislators to make our concerns known, and were successful in getting the following amendment added to the bill. The amendment places the responsibility back on the Illinois Pollution Control Board to insure that only properly treated (disinfected) gray water is able to be sold.

Senate Committee Amendment No. 1
Further amends the North Shore Sanitary District Act. Provides that any use of treated wastewater by any public or private entity shall be subject to the orders of the Pollution Control Board.

House Bills 2056 and 3090 both provide additional means of safeguarding our source water from contamination of improperly disposed of pharmaceuticals and prescription drugs. WUC members testimony and contact with legislators helped to support the passage of these bills.