Following are some of the NPDES related bills (with links so you can
check their status) and a short summary as drafted at one point in time. These can change rapidly.
Please follow the link to get their current language and status.
Unfortunately,
many of the state agencies, environmental groups, private environmental labs
and consultants, and others who favor NPDES are strongly opposed to many of the
good bills. There is potentially a great
amount of money to be made by some of these people if NPDES legislation passes
so they are pushing hard. The ones most
affected (less wealthy in southern
House Bill 1755 as
introduced, is by far the best of any of the NPDES related bills. If you have a magic wand, wave it and make
this bill law. Otherwise, there is no
way it is going anywhere.
Amends the Private Sewage Disposal Licensing
Act. Provides that
if the Environmental Protection Agency requires persons exempt from licensing
under the Act to obtain a permit, under the Clean Water Act, for the discharge
of waste from a private sewage disposal system, the Agency shall: (1) implement
and administer the private sewage disposal system permitting program; (2)
perform any necessary sampling and inspection of the disposal systems; and (3)
for each permit issued by the Agency, provide, subject to appropriation, the
permit holder with a $500 grant to cover the costs of sampling and maintaining
the private sewage disposal systems covered by the permit. Provides
that the Agency may enter into an agreement with the Department of Public
Health to reimburse any local authorities for the costs of implementing the
provisions of this Section. Effective immediately.
Senate Bill 0184 is a good bill that attempts
to lessen the impact and damage NPDES legislation would have.
Short Description: PRIVATE
SEWAGE-OFF
Amends the Private Sewage Disposal Licensing
Act. Defines "off-lot discharging private sewage disposal
system". Provides that every owner of an off-lot discharging
private sewage disposal system must file a "Notice of Intent" with
the Department of Public Health to allow coverage of the system under the
blanket National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit of the
State. Effective immediately.
House Bill 0613 is another good bill that
attempts to lessen the impact and damage NPDES legislation would have.
Short Description: PRIVATE
SEWAGE-OFF
Amends the Private Sewage Disposal Licensing
Act. Defines "Off-Lot Discharging Private Sewage Disposal System".
Provides that every owner of an off-lot discharging private
sewage disposal system must file a "Notice of Intent" with the
Department of Public Health to allow coverage of the system under the blanket
National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit of the State.
Effective immediately.
House Bill 3728 is a very bad bill that
furthers the impact and damage of NPDES legislation.
Amends the Private Sewage Disposal Licensing Act
and the Environmental Protection Act to prohibit the installation of surface
discharging septic systems without a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination
System (NPDES) permit issued by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. Requires the amendment of the
private sewage disposal code to reflect this permit requirement. Provides that the Department of Public Health may not independently
and without the participation of the Agency permit the installation by any
person of a surface discharging septic system. Provides
that the Advisory Commission on Private Sewage Disposal shall advise and aid
the Director of Public Health in reviewing and suggesting methods of mitigating
the negative impacts of existing surface discharging septic systems operating
within the State. Effective
House Bill 3729 is another very bad bill that
furthers the impact and damage of NPDES legislation.
Amends the Private Sewage Disposal Licensing
Act. Provides that
nonconforming private sewage disposal systems shall not be subject to
prescribed design requirements of the private sewage code, but must instead be
designed individually by a licensed professional engineer or a licensed
environmental health practitioner and approved by the Department on a
case-by-case basis. Effective immediately.
Watch House Joint Resolution 0013. The chief sponsor is the chief sponsor of HB
3728, HB3729, and appears to be the owner of some companies that would
financially benefit from NPDES enactment.
Establishes the Joint Task Force on National
Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Compliance.
Senate Bill 1174.
Amends the Private Sewage Disposal Licensing
Act. Permits a unit of local government to require homeowners who
maintain a private sewage disposal system within the unit of local government
to provide verification, on an annual basis, to the unit of local government of
a valid contract with a licensed private sewage disposal system installation
contractor. Effective immediately.
Senate Committee
Amendment No. 1
Deletes everything after the enacting clause. Reinserts the provisions of
the bill as introduced with the following changes. Permits a unit of
local government to require homeowners who maintain a private sewage disposal
system within the unit of local government to provide verification, no more
frequently than once every 3 years (rather than on an annual basis), to the
unit of local government of a valid contract with a licensed private sewage
disposal system installation contractor. Provides that no
additional fee may be charged for such verification. Effective
immediately.
House Bill 1303.
Amends the Private Sewage Disposal Licensing
Act. Provides for
the licensure of businesses (rather than persons) engaged in the pumping,
hauling, and disposal of wastes removed from the sewage disposal systems of
portable toilets and portable, potable handwashing units (now, just portable
toilets) and the cleaning, sanitizing, and maintenance of portable toilets and
portable, potable handwashing units. Requires the Department of Public Health
to establish and issue a certificate of registration as a portable sanitation
technician for any employee of a business licensed to maintain portable toilets
and portable, potable handwashing units who engages in the servicing of
portable toilets. Sets forth requirements for obtaining a
certificate of registration. Removes a provision
concerning designated persons. Makes related changes. Effective
immediately.
Deletes everything after the enacting clause. Reinserts the provisions of
the bill as introduced with the following changes. Provides for the
licensure or registration of businesses and employees engaged in the pumping,
hauling, and disposal of wastes removed from the sewage disposal systems of
holding tanks and the cleaning, sanitizing, and maintenance of holding tanks.
Requires the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation to establish
and issue a certificate of registration as a portable sanitation technician for
any employee of a business licensed under the Act to maintain portable toilets,
holding tanks, and potable handwashing units who engages in the servicing and
the cleaning, sanitizing, and maintenance of portable toilets, holding tanks,
and portable, potable handwashing units (instead of just for an employee who
engages in the servicing of portable toilets). Provides that beginning 6 months
after the adoption of Department rules implementing the provisions of the
amendatory Act (instead of 6 months after the effective date of the amendatory
Act), no person may engage in the servicing of portable toilets in a manner
that does not comply with the requirements of the Act and certain rules established
under the Act and no person or business may engage in the pumping, hauling, and
disposal of wastes removed from the sewage disposal systems of portable
toilets, holding tanks, and portable, potable handwashing units (instead of
just portable, potable handwashing units) and the cleaning, sanitizing, and
maintenance of portable toilets, holding tanks, and portable, potable
handwashing units without being licensed or certified under the Act. Removes a provision requiring an applicant for a certificate of
registration as a portable sanitation technician to attend a minimum safety
training session. Removes a provision that prohibits a person from
engaging in the pumping, hauling, or disposal of wastes removed from the sewage
disposal systems of portable toilets in a manner that does not comply with the
requirements of the Act and certain rules adopted under the Act. Effective immediately.
To see a
glimpse of what the future might hold for septic systems, check out the
following.
Hold down the Ctrl key and click on the following link for an
overview of the NSF organization.
Hold down the Ctrl key and click on the following link for an
overview of onsite monitoring system.
http://www.nsf.org/business/onsite_monitoring/index.asp?program=OnsiteMon
http://www.nsf.org/business/newsroom/monitor/wwmonitor_07winter.pdf
Hold down the Ctrl key and click on the following link for glimpse
of how it works. Use the user name
“agency” and the pass word “demo” to access it.
https://treatmentdatabase.nsf.org/service/manageLoc_show.asp?lid=35183
https://treatmentdatabase.nsf.org/service/manageLoc_show.asp?submit=Summary&lid=35183
https://treatmentdatabase.nsf.org/service/manageLoc_show.asp?submit=Reports&lid=35183
I’m impressed with what the software can do and how well it could
work. I’m skittish about the regulatory
and financial burden a system such as this could place on people; but I think
it is very possibly a glimpse at the future.