415 ILCS 5/11 — Illinois Code / Chapter 415 / Act 5 / Section 11
Section 11
Status: in_force

(415 ILCS 5/11) (from Ch. 111 1/2, par. 1011) Sec. 11. (a) The General Assembly finds: (1) that pollution of the waters of this State constitutes a menace to public health and welfare, creates public nuisances, is harmful to wildlife, fish, and aquatic life, impairs domestic, agricultural, industrial, recreational, and other legitimate beneficial uses of water, depresses property values, and offends the senses; (2) that the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, as now or hereafter amended, provides for a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) to regulate the discharge of contaminants to the waters of the United States; (3) that the Safe Drinking Water Act (P.L. 93-523), as amended, provides for an Underground Injection Control (UIC) program to regulate the underground injection of contaminants; (4) that it would be inappropriate and misleading for the State of Illinois to issue permits to contaminant sources subject to such federal law, as well as State law, which do not contain such terms and conditions as are required by federal law, or the issuance of which is contrary to federal law; (5) that the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, as now or hereafter amended, provides that NPDES permits shall be issued by the United States Environmental Protection Agency unless (a) the State is authorized by and under its law to establish and administer its own permit program for discharges into waters within its jurisdiction, and (b) pursuant to such federal Act, the Administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency approves such State program to issue permits which will implement the provisions of such federal Act; (6) that Part C of the Safe Drinking Water Act (P.L. 93-523), as amended, provides that the United States Environmental Protection Agency shall implement the UIC program authorized therein unless (a) the State is authorized by and under its law to establish and administer its own UIC program, and (b) pursuant to such federal Act, the Administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency approves such State program which will implement the provisions of such federal Act; (7) that it is in the interest of the People of the State of Illinois for the State to authorize such NPDES and UIC programs and secure federal approval thereof, and thereby to avoid the existence of duplicative, overlapping or conflicting state and federal statutory permit systems; (8) that the federal requirements for the securing of such NPDES and UIC permit program approval, as set forth in the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, as now or hereafter amended, and in the Safe Drinking Water Act (P.L. 93-523), as amended, respectively, and in regulations promulgated by the Administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency pursuant thereto are complex and detailed, and the General Assembly cannot conveniently or advantageously set forth in this Act all the requirements of such federal Act or all regulations which may be established thereunder. (b) It is the purpose of this Title to restore, maintain and enhance the purity of the waters of this State in order to protect health, welfare, property, and the quality of life, and to assure that no contaminants are discharged into the waters of the State, as defined herein, including, but not limited to, waters to any sewage works, or into any well, or from any source within the State of Illinois, without being given the degree of treatment or control necessary to prevent pollution, or without being made subject to such conditions as are required to achieve and maintain compliance with State and federal law; and to authorize, empower, and direct the Board to adopt such regulations and the Agency to adopt such procedures as will enable the State to secure federal approval to issue NPDES permits pursuant to the provisions of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, as now or hereafter amended, and federal regulations pursuant thereto and to authorize, empower, and direct the Board to adopt such regulations and the Agency to adopt such procedures as will enable the State to secure federal approval of the State UIC program pursuant to the provisions of Part C of the Safe Drinking Water Act (P.L. 93-523), as amended, and federal regulations pursuant thereto. (c) The provisions of this Act authorizing implementation of the regulations pursuant to an NPDES program shall not be construed to limit, affect, impair, or diminish the authority, duties and responsibilities of the Board, Agency, Department or any other governmental agency or officer, or of any unit of local government, to regulate and control pollution of any kind, to restore, to protect or to enhance the quality of the environment, or to achieve all other purposes, or to enforce provisions, set forth in this Act or other State law or regulation. (Source: P.A. 86-671.)