Section 525 ILCS 45/5.1 - Groundwater Emergency Restrictions(a) Each District within any county in Illinois through which the Iroquois River flows, and each District within any county in Illinois with a population in excess of 100,000 through which the Mackinaw River flows, is authorized to recommend to the Department of Agriculture restrictions on groundwater withdrawal as provided by this Section. A land occupier or person who possesses land which contains an existing point of withdrawal that is a high-capacity well or is proposing a new point of withdrawal that is a high-capacity well shall register that point of withdrawal with the District and shall furnish such reasonable data in such form as may be required by the District.
(b) The District, with the assistance and approval of the Department of Agriculture, shall issue recommended guidelines for the construction of points of withdrawal and the type and setting of pumps for use in those points of withdrawal. Copies of the guidelines shall be made available from the District upon request. (c) Within 2 working days after receiving a written complaint from a land occupier or a person whose point of withdrawal has failed to furnish its normal supply of water, the District shall schedule an on-site investigation. If the investigation discloses (1) that the point of withdrawal fails to furnish its normal supply of water, (2) that the failure is caused by a substantial lowering of the level of groundwater in the area, and (3) that the point of withdrawal and its equipment conform to the recommended guidelines of the District issued under subsection (b), the District may recommend to the Department of Agriculture that the Department restrict the quantity of water that a person may extract from any high-capacity well within the District's boundaries . The restriction shall be expressed in gallons of water, may apply to one or more points of withdrawal within the District, and may be broadened or narrowed as appropriate. The restrictions shall be lifted as soon as justified by changed conditions. (d) When a District determines that restriction of the withdrawal of water at a particular point within the District is necessary to preserve an adequate water supply for all residents in the District, the District may recommend to the Department of Agriculture that the Department restrict the quantity of water that may be extracted from any point of withdrawal within the District which is a high-capacity well . The Department shall review the District's recommendation and if it agrees with such recommendation shall restrict the withdrawal of water within the District in accordance with subsection (c) and shall notify each land occupier or person who possesses land which contains a registered point of withdrawal affected by the restriction. If the Department disagrees with the District's recommendation, it shall notify the District, the land occupier or the person who possesses land which contains a registered point of withdrawal affected by the recommendation and the complainant, giving the reason for the failure to affirm the recommendation. The Department may propose an alternate recommendation.
If the District, the respondent or the complainant disagrees with the decision of the Department, such person may request an administrative hearing to be conducted by the Department in accordance with the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act to show cause concerning its decision.
Final decisions of the Department pursuant to this Section may be appealed in accordance with the Administrative Review Law.
(e) The Department is authorized to promulgate rules and regulations, including emergency rules, for the implementation of this amendatory Act of 1987. The Department may set the general policy for the Districts to follow in the administration of this Act. Amended by P.A. 096-0222,§ 5, eff. 1/1/2010.