State Senator Sally Turner expressed her hopes for the passage of legislation aimed at protecting the Mahomet Aquifer in a Facebook post dated November 15. “I sincerely hope that during next week’s Veto Session we are able to pass this bill because we must protect our vital drinking water,” she said.
“I’m very disappointed that this critical piece of legislation was held in Committee,” said Turner, according to Facebook. “I sincerely hope that during next week’s Veto Session we are able to pass this bill because we must protect our vital drinking water.”
According to Turner’s Facebook post, she shared a news report from WAND TV announcing a pause on the bill intended to safeguard the Mahomet Aquifer from carbon sequestration projects. The proposed legislation would prohibit such projects “over, under or through any sole source aquifer,” as reported by WAND TV.
The article included comments from Senator Chapin Rose, who sponsored the legislation. Rose emphasized that this should be a priority during the second week of the legislature’s veto session. “The point is we shouldn’t have any risk. There’s no acceptable risk because this is the sole source. There is no other alternate source where you just turn on a switch and you get water from somewhere else. You can’t,” he said.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has designated part of the Mahomet Aquifer in east-central Illinois as a sole source aquifer, which provides drinking water for more than half of the region’s population. This designation, permitted by the Safe Drinking Water Act, underscores the potential public health emergency if contamination occurs, given there is no other economically feasible or physically available alternative water source, according to the EPA.
The Mahomet Aquifer contains water dating back between 1,000 and 12,000 years when tested. According to information from Champaign’s website, it consists of sand and gravel deposited in an ancient river valley formed 1.5 million years ago and covered with materials from glaciers over 130,000 years ago.
In 2017, Illinois established a task force specifically designed to protect the Mahomet Aquifer by identifying regulatory gaps and protection efforts, as noted by the city of Champaign.
Senator Turner has represented Illinois’ 44th Senate District since 2021 and has been an Illinois resident throughout her life. She holds a degree in legal studies from the University of Illinois and has professional experience as a juvenile probation officer and paralegal in Logan County State’s Attorney’s Office. She was elected Logan County Clerk and Recorder before choosing not to seek re-election in 2018.
