Environmental Progress - Winter 1996

Revamped Safe Drinking Water Act Highlights 1996 Water Programs

The long-awaited reauthorization of the federal Safe Drinking Water Act was a major Bureau of Water focus during 1996. The latest version of the federal drinking water act (the first was passed in 1974) will have significant long term and short term impacts on both the Agency and the community water supplies regulated by the Illinois EPA.

In other areas, the year also saw the first public workshops in the Watershed Management Program, progress in implementing the innovative Conservation 2000 program, and a streamlining of the annual pretreatment reporting requirements for wastewater dischargers.

Reauthorization of the Safe Drinking Water Act

Reauthorization of the Safe Drinking Water Act by Congress last August will give states, including Illinois, greater flexibility in identifying potential contamination sources in drinking water supplies.The Agency will also now be able to weigh the likelihood of contamination in setting monitoring criteria, removing an arbitrary compliance burden from many supplies while continuing to protect public health.

A new $7.6 billion federal program in the Safe Drinking Water Act to fund state revolving loan funds for drinking water supplies will give the Illinois EPA the opportunity to provide grants and low-interest loans for drinking water plant improvements much as the Agency has been funding improvements to wastewater treatment systems since 1989. Legislative action will be needed before the Agency can begin providing funds, but the Bureau of Water is setting up the mechanisms for timely implementation once enabling legislation is adopted.

Drinking Water Analysis Requirement Changes

The Community Water Supply Testing Fund has been saving water supplies up to $3-$4 million annually by providing analytical services through the Illinois EPA laboratories. Now, by merging monitoring requirements by analytical method rather than target compounds, costly repetitions of testing protocols are avoided, at an estimated cost savings of $9 million over a three year monitoring period.

U.S. EPA regulations for Phase II and V testing have set detection levels at the lowest level achieved by research labs, often 10 to 100 times below health effects levels. Since certified laboratories cannot equal these levels at an economically feasible cost, Illinois EPA was able to negotiate an agreement with Region 5 to set detection levels based on health effects, at an estimated cost savings of $1.5 million.

Watershed Management Programs

A watershed approach has been adopted to manage both point and nonpoint source water pollution control programs and a series of public workshops has been held around the state to encourage interested citizen groups to identify their high priority issues for developing watershed-wide plans for surface water and groundwater quality management. These plans will focus not only on technical solutions to specific water pollution issues but will evaluate environmental, social and economic factors as well. These watershed management concepts will give Illinois a running start in meeting Safe Drinking Water Act demands for increased protection of source water.

Conservation 2000/Clean Lakes Program

On July 1, 1995, Illinois embarked on an exciting six-year, $100 million state initiative to protect the state's natural resources and expand quality outdoor recreation opportunities. A major component of this holistic, long-term approach is a six year, $7 million program to merge monitoring, research, and environmental education with technical and financial assistance programs aimed at benefitting Illinois lakes. The program makes Illinois one of only a handful of states nationwide to have state-funded, comprehensive lake management programs.

The Volunteer Lake Monitoring Program operated by the Agency marked its 15th anniversary this year. Seventeen volunteers who have been in the program since it began will be honored during the annual Awards Ceremony.

A new Lake Education Assistance Program awarded $10,500 among 43 applicants during the first application period this fall, and applications are already being received for the next period, in which nearly $20,000 of assistance will be available for lake/watershed related educational field trips and activities.

To further assist lake and watershed education in Illinois schools, teacher manuals and related youth handbooks are being developed. Two "Lake Festivals" were held this fall, one at Tower Lake in southern Illinois and at the Lake of Egypt near Carbondale. The family-oriented, free public events offer children's activities, lake tours, lake management presentations, and food service.

A Conservation 2000/Illinois Clean Lakes Program Internet homepage is now available on the world wide web, and is updated monthly.

Streamlined Annual Pretreatment Reporting Process

After working with an advisory group made up of representatives from municipalities and sanitary districts, annual report forms were re-evaluated to eliminate duplication. Reporting software was developed to eliminate the need for hard copy submission of annual report forms. Among the results:

• One form went from four pages with 20 questions to one page with three questions;
• One summary form went from a multi-page document to a one page summary;
• Two previous report requirements were eliminated.