Environment (Drinking Water)

Creates the Private Well, Septic, and Water Infrastructure Housing Impact Task Force Act. Establishes a Task Force to study the impacts of new residential development on private wells, septic systems, groundwater quality, drinking water safety, and related environmental and public health concerns. Provides for membership appointed by legislative leaders and the Governor, including members representing local government interests, environmental and development sectors, technical experts, and relevant State agencies. Requires the Task Force to examine issues including septic capacity, groundwater protection, contamination risks, intergovernmental coordination, and homeowner education. Requires the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Public Health to provide administrative support. Directs the Task Force to submit a report with findings and recommendations to the Governor and the General Assembly by December 31, 2027. Dissolves the Task Force and repeals the Act on January 1, 2029.

Amends the Environmental Protection Act. Provides that an owner or operator of a community water supply may, by an additional method approved by the State, give written notice of the existence of lead service lines that are connected to buildings. Provides that an owner or operator of a community water supply that performs at least 4,000 lead service line replacements per year or exceeds a statutorily prescribed lead service line replacement rate is exempt from a provision that prohibits partial lead service line replacements. Provides that, in a municipality with a population of more than 1,000,000 inhabitants, the owner of a private property upon which there is located a renter-occupied building, a building that is used as a day care, or a multi-dwelling building must allow the community water supply access to replace the lead service line on the private side of the property.

Appropriates $10,000,000 from the Lead Poisoning Screening, Prevention, and Abatement Fund and $90,000,000 from the General Revenue Fund to the Environmental Protection Agency for grants to municipalities to replace lead service lines. Effective July 1, 2026.

Creates the Lead-Safe Water for Families Act. Provides that the Department of Healthcare and Family Services shall establish and administer a program to provide lead-reducing water filters at no cost to Medicaid-eligible households with children or expectant mothers. Requires outreach, application procedures, and rulemaking. Requires annual reporting to the General Assembly. Declares findings and states the purpose of the Act. Defines terms.

Creates the Protect the Great Lakes Act. Provides that, at the start of each month, the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago shall test for the presence of microplastics and PFAS in Lake Michigan and the Environmental Protection Agency shall test for the presence of microplastics and PFAS in the Illinois drinking water system. Provides that, at the end of each month, the District shall submit a report to the Environmental Protection Agency containing the test results taken at the start of the month. Provides that, after one year of testing and reporting, the District and Environmental Protection Agency shall submit a report to the General Assembly. Provides that the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Public Health shall establish an intergovernmental working group. Provides that the group shall meet at the beginning of every month to (i) address the effects of microplastic and PFAS water pollution on public health and (ii) find ways to eliminate microplastic and PFAS water pollution. Provides that, every 6 months, the group shall submit a report to the General Assembly containing recommendations to eliminate microplastic and PFAS water pollution. Effective January 1, 2027.

Amends the Environmental Protection Act. Provides that all National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permits authorizing a discharge from a facility designated by the Environmental Protection Agency and the United States Environmental Protection Agency as a major facility, shall, at a minimum, require for publicly owned treatment works, periodic sampling of influent, effluent, and biosolids for all perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances for which there are accredited wastewater analytical methods and, for all other facilities, periodic effluent sampling for all perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances for which there are accredited wastewater analytical methods. Provides that the Agency shall require any NPDES permit application for a discharge of wastewater that has potential to contain perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances to fully characterize the discharge through sample results for all perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances for which there are accredited wastewater analytical methods. Provides that the Agency shall not issue any permit under specified provisions for the land application of a sludge or biosolids unless the application includes sample results for the sludge or biosolids for all perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances for which there are accredited wastewater analytical methods. Provides that any permit issued under specified provisions for the land application of a sludge or biosolids shall require, at minimum, periodic sampling of the sludge or biosolids for all perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances for which there are accredited wastewater analytical methods.

Amends the Environmental Protection Act. Provides that, within one year after the effective date of the amendatory Act, the Environmental Protection Agency shall adopt amendments to its procedural rules governing the issuance of public water supply program loans for lead service line replacement. Requires the Agency to revise the loan priority scoring criteria it uses for houses built before 1990 and the loan priority scoring criteria it uses for communities with a high lead service line burden.

Creates the Lead Service Line Replacement Bonding Act. Authorizes the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to issue up to $2,000,000,000 in bonds to provide funding for the Lead Service Line Replacement Loans Program. Defines key terms. Provides that bond proceeds may be used for loans to replace lead service lines, principal forgiveness or negative interest loans for disadvantaged communities, costs of issuance and administration, and refinancing or refunding of similar obligations.

Amends the State Finance Act. Creates the Municipal Water Infrastructure Sustainability Fund. Provides that moneys in the Fund shall be used by the Environmental Protection Agency to provide dedicated, ongoing financial support to water and wastewater systems owned by municipalities to allow the water and wastewater systems to make capital repairs, upgrades, and improvements with the goal of preserving public ownership of the water and wastewater systems and preventing forced privatization due to unaffordable infrastructure costs.

Amends the Environmental Protection Act. Creates the PFAS Biosolids Testing and Land Application Standards Title within the Act. Provides that a facility that intends to land apply biosolids in the State must collect and analyze at least one representative sample of finished biosolids for PFAS before land application in each calendar year, with required submission to the Environmental Protection Agency at least 14 days before land application on a farm or parcel of land. Provides that, for biosolids designated as Exceptional Quality (EQ), sampling and submission must be quarterly. Sets conditions for land application pursuant to the results of the PFAS test based on PFAS concentration. Requires written notification to the landowner or person responsible for the land, and retention of records by the facility. Requires the Agency to propose and the Pollution Control Board to adopt rules. Contains findings. Defines terms. Effective immediately.