363.61 UNIVERSITY OF State of Illinois U681X ILLINOIS LIBRARY May 2005 Rod R. Blagojevich, AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN BO0KCT ' °!<S Illinois Environmental Protection Agency Renee Cipriano, Director a ’,r>Tr* ' r" c-'T •? r~ ~ Watercolorfrom LewisandClarkTrailProject, courtesyof IllinoisartistKen Holder Upper Mississippi R ”ar ! Source Water Protection Initiative On June 30, 2004, Illinois' Governor Rod Blagojevich announced the Upper Mississippi River Source Water Protection Initiative and pledged that his administration would expand its leader- ship role in improving the water quality of the Mississippi River. Source water protection is a proactive approach to protecting our critical sources of drinking water and assuring that the best source of water is being utilized to serve the public. It involves implementation of pollution prevention practices to protect the water quality in a watershed or wellhead protection area serving a public water supply. Along with treatment, it establishes a multi-barrier approach to ensure clean and safe drinking water for the citizens of Illinois. This Initiative, administered by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, will provide increased direct technical assistance and available financial assistance over a three-year period to 12 communities along the Mississippi River that depend on the River for their public water supplies. The Agency will assemble teams of staff experts to be available to local governments and community groups to ensure that they are informed about various assistance programs available to help protect the River, not only as a recre- ational and economic asset, but as the source of drink- pledge that my administration will I ing water for nearly half a million citizens of Illinois. put a higher statewide environmental priority on efforts to protect and Identified Communities improve the water quality of the — The following communities depend on the Mississippi Mississippi River the Great River River for their public water supplies: Chester, Alton, that first brought settlers and com- East Moline, East St. Louis, Granite City, Hamilton, merce to our region." Moline, Nauvoo, Quincy, Rock Island, Rock Island — Arsenal and Warsaw. Governor Rod R. Blagojevich u « 1RY DEPr Illinois Environmental Protection Agency NOV 2 9 2005 UNIVERL AT URBa: UNIVERSITYOFILLINOISURBANA Roundtables 1 he l!,mois EPA Wl!l co-sponsor a series of one-day source water protection workshops that will locus on homeland security, emergency response training, source water protection and nonpoint source pollution management programs. These meetings will introduce the Governor's Mississippi River Source Water Protection Initiative, and the programs available from the Agency and its partners for implementing each community's source water protection management plan. By working to ensure safe drinking water supplies, the health and economy of each community, as well as the preservation of natural resources, will be greatly improved. At each workshop, Illinois EPA staff will present an overview related to non-point source pollu- tion grant programs. Illinois EPA will discuss and facilitate financial and technical assistance that is available to farmers within the critical source water protection area, to reduce nutrients and pesticides from agricultural run-off. Further, the Illinois EPA will support the promotion and implementation of agricultural as well as urban non-point source best management practices on an on-going basis. In addition, Illinois EPA will provide technical assistance in using our new web-based interactive guide to developing a comprehensive source water protection plan. The Illinois EPA will review and identify areas of inter- "The Mississippi River is a great est, compliance issues, and opportunities for Agency natural resource that must be programs for the 12 communities. Participating staff protected for future generations may include: Agriculture and Rural Development of Illinois citizens. Just as we Advisor, Brownfields Development, Emergency share in the enjoyment of the Response, Pollution Prevention and Small Business. we River, also share in the Illinois EPA staff will then follow-up with local commu- obligation to protect it." nity officials to identify the programs they would like to — pursue. The Agency will set up one-on-one meetings Director Renee Cipriano to provide applications and direct assistance to the communities, as resources allow. For more information on the community workshops, please contact Illinois EPA, Bureau of Water, Groundwater Section at 21 7-785-4787 or visit our website at www.epa.state.il.us/water Printed by Authority of the State of Illinois May - 2005 34566 500