Environmental Conditions of Illinois
Water Resources
Persons Served by Compliant Water Supplies
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The percentage of the population served by community water supplies who receive
drinking water with no short-term (acute) or long-term (chronic) adverse health effects
increases to over 95 percent by the year 2000 (an increase of 5 percent). |
 Safe
drinking water should be free of contaminants that have the potential
to cause either short term or long term health effects. The percentage
of persons served by community water supplies that were compliant with
all health standards (maximum contaminant levels, treatment techniques,
or health advisories) during the calendar year of 1996 was over 89 percent.
This is approximately one-half of one percentage increase in compliance
from calendar year 1995. Moreover, there was a two percent improvement
in resolution of violations in 1996 when compared to 1995.
 The
1996 Acute & Chronic Effects Figure indicates that over 96 percent
of the population served by community water supplies received drinking
water free from the potential of acute (short-term) adverse health effects
and over 92 percent was free from the potential of chronic (long-term)
health effects. It is important to note that most violations were short
in duration and the potential for health risk was minimized through prompt
corrective action by the water supplies. Very short term violations in
a few supplies with large populations resulted in an increase of approximately
one percent of potential acute effects in 1996 when compared to 1995.
However, an improvement in potential chronic effects was noted with approximately
a one percent decrease in 1996 versus 1995.
Source Water Protection
Illinois EPA has been developing the basis of a source water protection program for the
past three years. A source water protection area is a watershed area for surface water
sources of public supply, and is a wellhead protection area for groundwater supplies. We
have been working to integrate source water protection under a watershed protection
program in the Bureau of Water. During the past year Watershed Management Program
Workshops were held for the purpose of informing the public about the watershed initiative
underway at Illinois EPA, but most importantly, to seek public input on what components
should be included in the Watershed Implementation Plan Guidance Document being developed. |
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