The Mahomet Aquifer proved to have many friends on May 13, when U.S. EPA held a public hearing on a proposal to designate the Mahomet as a sole source aquifer. Thanks to our members who showed up at the hearing as well as the pre-hearing rally in Champaign. Over 400 people attended.
It was wonderful to see the community come together in support of an environmental proposal that represents a win-win for public health and economic prosperity. We express our gratitude to the environmental community, the many politicians who support the designation, and the intergovernmental coalition that filed the petition for designation.
Not a single person spoke against the designation, which would provide the aquifer with increased protection from future, federally-funded construction projects that have the potential to pollute groundwater. The overwhelming sentiment was concern for the quality of our drinking water and the risks posed by projects like storing PCBs in Clinton Landfill. For more information on the Clinton Landfill saga, please see this great timeline story by the News-Gazette.
We are hopeful the designation will be approved, though designation will not fully protect the aquifer. Next we need East-Central Illinois’ state legislators to work on legislation that protects aquifers from privately funded projects.
You can still submit comments in support of the sole-source designation by June 12, 2014 to:
William Spaulding email: spaulding.william@epa.gov U.S. EPA Region 5 (WG-15J) 77 W. Jackson Blvd. Chicago, IL 60604
