Three-quarters of a million people in Illinois rely on the Mahomet Aquifer for safe, clean water. Many local officials from Central Illinois are involved in trying to protect the Aquifer. These officials have released a public service announcement (PSA) to urge the public to be involved in the U.S. EPA’s process to designate the Mahomet Aquifer as a Sole Source Aquifer. The PSA includes representatives from the Cities of Champaign and Urbana; the Town of Normal; the Villages of Mansfield, Mahomet and Savoy; and the University of Illinois. The coalition has grown to a total of fifteen members. Others not appearing in the PSA include the Cities of Clinton, Delavan, Gilman, and Watseka; the Counties of Champaign and Dewitt; the Village of Waynesville; and Illinois American Water Company. The Mahomet Aquifer is a vital source of water for hundreds of thousands of residents in Central Illinois. A Sole Source Aquifer designation is a tool to protect drinking water in areas with no alternative sources, where replacing the water supply in the event of contamination is not feasible. The designation protects an area’s water by requiring the U.S. EPA to review all proposed projects receiving federal funding to ensure they do not endanger the water source. “We want to send a very clear message to central Illinois residents that the U.S. EPA needs to hear that the public is supportive of this designation,” said Don Gerard Mayor of Champaign. “It is important to realize that if we don’t act now, future generations may not have access to clean water. Please join us in our efforts to ensure our residents have clean, safe water.”
The PSA is available for viewing at www.cleanwater4midil.org. Broadcast organizations interested in obtaining a broadcast-quality version of the PSA can request a copy from [email protected].
For more information please visit www.cleanwater4midil.org