Illinois’ water is at risk. Fertilizer and pesticide runoff is contaminating our rivers, lakes, and drinking water, threatening both human health and aquatic ecosystems. Decades of voluntary programs have failed to curb this pollution, despite millions of taxpayer dollars spent. Now, we have a chance to implement a proven, science-based solution: riparian buffers.
State Representative Anna Moeller has introduced the Riparian Protection and Water Quality Practices Act (HB2729), which will require buffer zones along Illinois waterways to filter pollutants, prevent erosion, and improve water quality. Instead of asking the public to spend millions to clean up pollution after the fact, this bill focuses on stopping contamination at the source — an approach backed by decades of research.
Why This Matters:
- Illinois has some of the most polluted water in the Midwest. We often can’t swim in it, drink it, or eat fish from it. Pollution from fertilizer runoff has fueled toxic algal blooms, habitat destruction, and public health risks. We must act now to safeguard drinking water, aquatic ecosystems, and public health.
- Atrazine, a harmful pesticide linked to birth defects and cancer, is found in surface waters across Illinois. Buffers can help stop it from entering our water.
- Fertilizer runoff from Illinois farms is a major contributor to the Gulf of Mexico’s “dead zone,” an oxygen-starved area spanning thousands of square miles that devastates marine life and costs the seafood industry billions.
- The state’s own reports show that, after a decade of voluntary conservation programs, nutrient pollution has increased rather than decreased. It’s time for real action with enforceable buffer requirements.
- Scientific studies show riparian buffers are one of the most effective, cost-efficient solutions to pollution, reducing fertilizer and pesticide runoff before it enters rivers and lakes.
- Other states, like Minnesota, have already implemented successful buffer protections — Illinois should do the same.
It’s time to tell your legislators to keep Illinois waters clean!
