New poll shows the majority of registered voters in Illinois opposed to storing carbon under the Mahomet Aquifer
MAHOMET AQUIFER, Ill. – There is growing opposition to carbon capture and sequestration projects that threaten the Mahomet Aquifer, the sole source of drinking water for nearly one million people in 14 counties across Central Illinois.
On Tuesday, Senator Paul Faraci and Representative Carol Ammons announced their intent to file legislation to protect the Mahomet Aquifer. The legislation, which would ban carbon capture and sequestration projects through and under the Mahomet Aquifer and its recharge areas, could be considered as soon as November’s veto session.
This announcement aligns with a new poll released last week that found 71% of Illinois registered voters do not support sequestering carbon pollution under the Mahomet Aquifer.
Central Illinois sees an onslaught of carbon capture and sequestration proposals – three such projects are proposing to inject carbon through the Mahomet Aquifer and its recharge areas and store it under the aquifer.
“The Mahomet Aquifer is the sole source of clean drinking water for so many in Central Illinois,” said Sen. Paul Faraci (D – Champaign). “It’s time for us to extend protections to the communities who rely on the Mahomet Aquifer, and I am drafting legislation that will specifically protect the Mahomet Aquifer.”
“The Mahomet Aquifer is too valuable to our community to take any chances, and I will continue to fight for the protections it needs,” Faraci wrote in a Tuesday op-ed in the News-Gazette.
“We must protect our water from corporate interests that prioritize profits over people,” said Rep. Carol Ammons (D – Urbana). “I fought for the sole source designation in 2015, and I’m standing up again to protect our Mahomet Aquifer, which supplies millions of gallons of water daily to our Central Illinois communities. This is why I am proud to support legislation that will uphold the highest standards of public health and help ensure that all of my constituents have clean water for generations to come.”
The Mahomet Aquifer was designated a sole source aquifer by the EPA in 2015, which means that “contamination of the aquifer would create a significant hazard to public health and there are no physically available or economically feasible alternative sources of drinking water to serve the population that relies on the aquifer.”
Across Central Illinois, residents are mobilizing against this threat. Together, they have initiated the Protect The Mahomet Aquifer campaign to demand a ban on carbon capture and sequestration under the Mahomet Aquifer and its recharge areas.
“This poll reflects concerns of voters across the state that carbon capture and storage is a risky technology that can contaminate the Mahomet Aquifer, if CO2 were to escape containment,” said Pam Richart, co-director of Eco-Justice Collaborative. “This aquifer serves over 100 communities, businesses, industry, and farmers throughout central Illinois. It is vital to our economy and well being. We need to ban sequestration activities in order to protect the Mahomet Aquifer from contamination in perpetuity.”
The poll, conducted by nonpartisan Embold Research, consisted of 2,479 interviews with registered voters in IL, IA, IN, ND, NE and SD from July 25-31, 2024. (Margin of error = +/- 2.2%).
The BOLD Alliance is a network of “small and mighty” groups in rural states working to protect land and water. The group fights fossil fuel projects, protects landowners against eminent domain abuse, and works for clean energy solutions while building an engaged base of citizens who care about the land, water, and climate change.
“Allowing corporations to risk our aquifers for private gain is unacceptable,” said Andrew Rehn, director of climate policy at Prairie Rivers Network. “Carbon capture and storage isn’t the climate solution it’s made out to be — it’s a dangerous gamble and corporate subsidy that could contaminate our water forever. It’s a risk we shouldn’t take.”
The process of capturing and storing CO2 is highly controversial, especially in the proximity of Mahomet Aquifer. This unproven technology has the potential to leak, cause earthquakes, mobilize heavy metals in water, and more.
CO2 that leaks into the Mahomet Aquifer would form carbonic acid, changing the water chemistry. This could mobilize unknown contaminants that are present but currently non-reactive in the aquifer, including heavy metals like manganese, cobalt, nickel, uranium, and barium, which can cause severe health issues, including cancer, liver damage, and anemia.
Earlier this year, Governor JB Pritzker signed Senate Bill 1289 to regulate carbon capture and storage in Illinois. The law requires corporations to provide an alternative drinking source if it becomes contaminated from the injection and storage of CO2. But there is one issue that wasn’t addressed in the legislation — sole source aquifers like the Mahomet. The sole source designation means that there is no reasonably available alternative drinking water source for users of the Mahomet Aquifer. Therefore, no company would be able to provide an alternate source.
There is a history of leaks impacting the Mahomet Aquifer. In 2016, methane stored under the Mahomet leaked near rural Mahomet, and the residents in that area still rely on bottled water to this day.
“The voices of those who rely on the aquifer for clean water must be heard and prioritized over corporate interests,” said Julie Prandi, leader for Illinois People’s Action. “It makes absolutely no sense that a company could be given the ‘green light’ to endanger our most precious resource when we know it cannot be replaced. We’re thankful local legislators are working to protect our water.”
About Protect the Mahomet Aquifer
The Protect The Mahomet Aquifer campaign is a coalition of community members, environmental organizations, and advocacy groups united to protect the Mahomet Aquifer — a vital water source for nearly one million people across 14 counties in Central Illinois. In response to the growing threat of carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) projects proposed under the aquifer and its recharge areas, residents have mobilized to demand action.
The campaign, led by Eco-Justice Collaborative, Illinois People’s Action, Prairie Rivers Network, and concerned citizens, is calling for a legislative ban on CCS projects that risk contaminating this critical water source. We believe that safeguarding the Mahomet Aquifer from the dangers of CCS is essential to preserving the health and well-being of our communities, environment, and future generations. Together, we are committed to protecting our water, our land, and our shared future.
