2023 Illinois Compiled Statutes › Chapter 525 - CONSERVATION › 525 ILCS 25/ - Illinois Lake Management Program Act.

(525 ILCS 25/1) (from Ch. 19, par. 1401)
Sec. 1. 
		
		This Act shall be known and may be cited as the "Illinois Lake Management Program Act."
(Source: P.A. 86-939.)
(525 ILCS 25/2) (from Ch. 19, par. 1402)
Sec. 2. 
		(a) The General Assembly finds and recognizes that:
(1) Illinois' 2,900 lakes and 82,000 ponds provide many economic and
social benefits including fishing, swimming, boating, water supply,
wildlife habitat, flood control, tourism, and property value enhancement;
and that the public uses and benefits of Illinois' water resources are
heavily concentrated on lakes;
(2) in an assessment made by the Illinois Environmental Protection
Agency in 1988, 86% of the
number and 88% of the acreage of assessed lakes had impaired
uses,
caused primarily by nuisance growth of weeds and algae, turbidity,
sedimentation or toxicants;
(3) long-term improvements in the State's lake resources can be
realized most effectively if comprehensive lake management strategies are implemented; and
(4) implementation of these comprehensive strategies requires a careful
analysis of the cause and effect relationships between lake impairments and
the causal factors found both in the lake and in the lake's tributary watershed.
(b) The General Assembly further recognizes that:
(1) improved lake uses and water quality could result from a greater
role in lake management by the State;
(2) implementation of lake restoration and protection programs has been
and likely will continue to be largely the responsibility of local interests; and
(3) incorporation of 4 principal strategies into a lake management
program administered by the State would greatly aid in the achievement of
higher quality lakes:
(1) public education,
(2) technical assistance,
(3) monitoring and research, and
(4) financial incentives for local lake management interests.
(Source: P.A. 86-939.)
(525 ILCS 25/3) (from Ch. 19, par. 1403)
Sec. 3. 
		As used in this Act.
(a) "Administrative Framework Plan" means the plan developed by the
State to administer and implement the requirements of this Act.
(b) "Agency" means the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency.
(c) "Comprehensive lake management" means an action resulting from lake
management strategies and
plans that address all potential causes of lake degradation, including factors situated
both in the lake and within the lake's tributary watershed; and followed by
the development and implementation of management strategies which impart
long term improvements and benefits for the lake.
(d) "Diagnostic and Feasibility Study" means the gathering of data to
document the existing and potential sources of pollution and to determine
the limnological, morphological, demographic, and other pertinent
characteristics of an inland lake and its associated watershed; and the
analysis of this information to determine the most appropriate method for
improving or preserving the quality of the lake and to determine the need
for a Long Term Restoration and Preservation Project or a Water Quality
Maintenance Program.
(e) "Lake" means any inland lake as recognized by the Agency other than
Lake Michigan, to which the public has continuing and regular access.
(f) "Lake Owner" means the owner or owners of any inland lake which
possess the legal authority for a given lake to perform Diagnostic and
Feasibility Studies and to enact comprehensive lake management through the
implementation of Long Term Restoration and Preservation Projects and Water
Quality Maintenance Programs.
(g) "Long Term Restoration and Preservation Project" means an
implementation of lake and watershed management plans as developed under
the Diagnostic and Feasibility Study which will provide for long term
restoration benefits and long term preservation of the lake's water quality.
(h) "Monitoring" means programs to scientifically document the existing
quality of a lake and the potential sources of pollutants which might lead
to the lake's degradation or reduced environmental and cultural values.
(i) "public education" means programs and instruments designed to
improve the general public's understanding of the causes of lake management
problems, alternatives for lake restoration and protection, and the
processes by which comprehensive lake management strategies can be
effectively implemented.
(j) "Research" means programs and studies to scientifically determine
the effectiveness of lake restoration and protection techniques, and to
develop new and more effective approaches for comprehensive lake management.
(k) "Technical assistance" means assistance by State personnel trained
in comprehensive lake management, and provided to municipalities, soil and
water conservation districts,
homeowners associations, lake managers, lake homeowners, and other
appropriate organizations and individuals involved with lake management
decision-making at the local level; such assistance is likely to be
provided to a significant degree by on-site visits to affected lakes and
meetings with appropriate organizations and individuals.
(l) "Water Quality Maintenance Program" means an implementation of a
lake and watershed management program recommended by the Diagnostic and
Feasibility Study which provides short-term relief from nuisance aquatic
vegetation and algae growth; projects under this program must demonstrate
that the proposed maintenance activities would result in attainment of
significant public recreational lake use, and that watershed management
plans are being implemented to control and reduce incoming nutrients,
sediments, and other pollutants.
(Source: P.A. 86-939.)
(525 ILCS 25/4) (from Ch. 19, par. 1404)
Sec. 4. 
		
		(a) Within one year following passage of this Act, the Agency
shall develop, in consultation with the Illinois Department of Natural
Resources, the Illinois Department of Agriculture, and the Division of Water
Resources, an
Administrative Framework Plan for implementing the requirements of this Act,
including but not limited to:
(1) a public education program addressing     comprehensive lake management;
(2) a technical assistance program addressing     comprehensive lake management;
(3) a monitoring and research program addressing     comprehensive lake management; and
(4) a program which provides financial incentives for     implementation of comprehensive lake management plans at the local level.
(b) This Administrative Framework Plan shall identify:
(1) specific procedures for establishing and     executing public education, technical assistance, and monitoring and research programs on lake management;
(2) detailed prioritization criteria and application     procedures for review of proposed lake management studies, projects, and programs;
(3) a recommended division of responsibility among     State agencies for implementing the provisions of this Act, including any appropriate Interagency Agreements; and
(4) a plan which presents the financial resources     necessary for the subsequent 5 years to implement subsection (a) of this Section.
(Source: P.A. 89-445, eff. 2-7-96.)
(525 ILCS 25/5) (from Ch. 19, par. 1405)
Sec. 5. 
		
		The Illinois Department of Natural Resources, the Illinois
Department
of Agriculture, and the Division of
Water Resources shall assist the Agency in its preparation of the
Administrative Framework Plan.
(Source: P.A. 89-445, eff. 2-7-96.)
(525 ILCS 25/6) (from Ch. 19, par. 1406)
Sec. 6. 
		
		Applications submitted to the Agency by Lake Owners to
implement Diagnostic and Feasibility Studies, Long-Term Restoration and
Preservation Projects, and Water Quality Maintenance Programs shall be
reviewed on an annual basis, with a procedure for an ad hoc emergency
application review.  Criteria to be used by the Agency in prioritizing
applications shall include:
(a) extent of recreational use,
(b) extent of additional multiple uses, including water supply,
(c) technical feasibility and lake improvement potential,
(d) extent of public access,
(e) lake condition and use impairment,
(f) types and amount of recreational facilities available,
(g) comprehensiveness of scope and cost-effectiveness,
(h) proximity of other recreational lakes,
(i) local public support for the proposal, and
(j) history of local efforts for and dedication to lake restoration and protection.
(Source: P.A. 86-939.)
(525 ILCS 25/7) (from Ch. 19, par. 1407)
Sec. 7. 
		
		(a) The Agency shall grant funds to applicants on a priority
basis limited only by the availability of funds.  Grants should be 50% of
the costs for Diagnostic and Feasibility Studies, and shall not exceed 50%
of the costs for either Long Term Restoration and Preservation Projects or
Water Quality Maintenance Programs.  The Lake Owner shall be responsible
for financing the remainder of the costs for such studies, projects, and
programs.  The Agency shall supervise and may audit the financing of any
study, project, or program implemented under this Act.  All information
generated by any study, project, or program implemented under this Act
shall be provided to the Agency and the Lake Owner.
(b) Applications for Long Term Restoration Projects or Water Quality
Maintenance Programs must include the required outputs of a
Diagnostic and Feasibility Study.
(Source: P.A. 86-939.)
(525 ILCS 25/10)
Sec. 10. (Repealed).
(Source: P.A. 97-213, eff. 7-28-11. Repealed by P.A. 98-692, eff. 7-1-14; 98-822, eff. 8-1-14.)