By RFD Radio Network
MAHOMET – Earlier this year, the state of Illinois approved a task force to continue efforts to protect a natural resource that provides water to many Illinoisans.
State Sen. Chapin Rose (R-Mahomet) is a member of that task force focusing on continued efforts to protect the Mahomet Aquifer, which provides water for more than 500,000 Illinois residents.
“The goal is to be very proactive in protecting our water supply,” Rose explained, “and trying to not repeat some of the mistakes of the past, but provide for a stable water supply for a half-million people.”
One area the task force will likely focus on is several closed landfills that lie atop the aquifer. Sen. Rose indicates it is unknown how those might impact the water of the Mahomet Aquifer.
“One of the things that scared the heck out of me,” Rose recalled, “I talked to the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, and they told me they didn’t even have a list of where all these places were in the state. You don’t even know where these old landfills are, let alone what’s in them. That’s a pretty concerning space.”
Rose says the task force will provide a report to the State Senate next summer. He adds he will propose using the University of Illinois’ Prairie Research Institute to do ground monitoring research.
