Illinois lawmakers and environmentalists want tougher monitoring of quarries being reclaimed with construction waste.
There are calls for more regulation to ensure drinking water doe not become contaminated with toxins, reports the State Journal Register.
Attorney General Lisa Madigan is in court, trying to force previously dismissed groundwater monitoring on the quarries. She argued in a state appellate court brief that testing underground aquifers is necessary to protect drinking water “from the ongoing threat posed by the placement of unchecked materials ... directly into the water table.”
Pro-monitoring forces use Flint, Michigan, as a worst-case scenario, where river water was not treated to reduce corrosion for 18 months, leading lead to leach from old pipes and fixtures.
“That’s the danger,” said Rep Margo McDermed, a Republican from limestone-rich Will County who is sponsoring legislation requiring groundwater monitoring around quarry receptacles. “That’s the concern of everyone who uses water nearby quarries: that we could be in a situation like that.”
Eighteen organizations — which have made $6 million in political contributions in the past decade — have lined up against the measure. More than once, the Pollution Control Board has rejected groundwater monitoring, the decision Madigan is contesting.
Legislation similar to McDermed’s, sponsored by Democratic Rep Emily McAsey of Lockport, was shunted into a subcommittee for review last week, substantially weakening its chances for passage before the legislature adjourns May 31.
