For immediate release August 6, 2014 Gov. Quinn signs additional legislation to address urban flooding Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD) President Kathleen Meany introduced Governor Pat Quinn during a press conference and bill signing ceremony at the Centennial Fountain along the Chicago River on Aug. 3. Chairman of Finance Mariyana Spyropoulos, Commissioner Kari Steele, Illinois Dept. of Natural Resources Director Marc Miller, and others joined them. The Governor signed three bills. Senate Bill 2966, sponsored by State Senator Heather Steans and State Rep. Kelly Cassidy, creates the Urban Flooding Awareness Act. The new law forms a working group with representatives from state, federal and local agencies and other interested parties who will review and evaluate the latest research, policies and procedures regarding urban flooding. The group must submit a report by June 30, 2015 to the Governor and General Assembly with recommendations on how best to prevent and control urban flooding. Water is a tremendous resource except when you have too much of it or it’s not fit to drink,” Governor Quinn said. “These new laws will help us better control the damaging urban floods we’ve had recently, and will help maintain our clean drinking water systems.” “With recent heavy rainfall, our neighborhoods, cities and state saw a dramatic increase in flooding, causing serious damage to property,” said Rep. Cassidy. “This bill will bring together stakeholders, experts and State agencies to examine the causes of urban flooding and how our infrastructure and technology can mitigate the impacts in the future.” The Gov. signed two other bills as well. Senate Bill 2928 allows law enforcement agencies to collect pharmaceuticals and other controlled substances from residents and safely store and transport them for disposal at IEPA-approved sites. Senate Bill 2770 requires each community water supply system to designate an operator who will be directly responsible for that system’s water supply and distribution. The Governor’s press release can be found at: www3.illinois.gov/PressReleases/ShowPressRelease.cfm?SubjectID=2&RecNum=12480
Posted on: Wed, 06 Aug 2014 19:41:08 +0000
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