Governor Bruce Rauner signed legislation that requires gas storage field owners to notify local communities if natural gas leaks threaten to expose residents and businesses to contaminated water. The new law also mandates annual storage field inspections by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

 

 

 

Aimed at protecting the Mahomet Aquifer, East Central Illinois’ primary water source, House Bill 4746 responds to a gas leak in Champaign County in 2016. Local officials and area residents were not informed about the leak that contaminated private wells according to Sen. Chapin Rose.

 

 

 

The annual DNR inspections will look for infrastructure deficiencies or failures that could affect public health. The costs of the annual inspections will be paid by the owners of the gas storage fields. The DNR will establish criteria for what constitutes an incident.