Bill Text: IL SB2824 | 2017-2018 | 100th General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Amends the Rivers, Lakes, and Streams Act. Provides that when considering whether to issue a permit for construction or maintenance or repair of a levee or flood wall under a provision in the Act, the Department of Natural Resources shall consider the flood discharge that would just overtop a levee or flood wall when conducting a worst-case scenario analysis. Defines "worst-case scenario analysis". Effective immediately.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 6-0)
Status: (Failed) 2019-01-09 - Session Sine Die [SB2824 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2017-SB2824-Introduced.html
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1 | AN ACT concerning transportation.
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2 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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3 | represented in the General Assembly:
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4 | Section 5. The Rivers, Lakes, and Streams Act is amended by | |||||||||||||||||||
5 | changing Section 29a as follows:
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6 | (615 ILCS 5/29a) (from Ch. 19, par. 78)
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7 | Sec. 29a. Construction permits; maintenance and repairs; | |||||||||||||||||||
8 | clear cutting.
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9 | (a) After July 1, 1985, no person, State agency, or unit of | |||||||||||||||||||
10 | local
government shall undertake construction in a public body | |||||||||||||||||||
11 | of water or in a
stream without a permit from the Department of | |||||||||||||||||||
12 | Natural Resources. No permit
shall be required in a stream | |||||||||||||||||||
13 | which is not a public body of water, draining
less than one | |||||||||||||||||||
14 | square mile in an urban area or less than ten square miles in a
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15 | rural area. No permits shall be required for field tile | |||||||||||||||||||
16 | systems, tile outlet
structures, terraces,
water and sediment | |||||||||||||||||||
17 | control basins, grade stabilization structures, or
grassed | |||||||||||||||||||
18 | waterways which do not obstruct flood flows. Any artificially
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19 | improved stream channel, drainage ditch, levee, or pumping | |||||||||||||||||||
20 | station
existing in serviceable condition on July 1, 1985 may | |||||||||||||||||||
21 | be maintained and
repaired to preserve design capacity and | |||||||||||||||||||
22 | function without a permit.
Maintenance and repair of improved | |||||||||||||||||||
23 | channels, ditches or levees shall
follow accepted practices to |
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1 | reduce, as practical, scour, erosion,
sedimentation, escape of | ||||||
2 | loose material and debris, disturbance of adjacent
trees and | ||||||
3 | vegetation, and obstruction of flood flows.
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4 | (b) No person, State agency, or unit of local
government, | ||||||
5 | except (i) a
unit
of local government with a population greater | ||||||
6 | than 500,000 and (ii) a
commercial or industrial facility, the | ||||||
7 | operation of which falls under the
regulatory jurisdiction of | ||||||
8 | the United States Army
Corps of Engineers or the United States | ||||||
9 | Coast Guard under Section 10 of the
Federal Rivers and Harbors | ||||||
10 | Act, may clear cut trees
within 15
yards of waters listed by | ||||||
11 | the Department under Section 5 as navigable, except
as
follows:
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12 | (1) for the
purpose of improving, maintaining, | ||||||
13 | repairing, constructing, or reconstructing
any highway, | ||||||
14 | road, bridge, culvert, drainage structure, drainage | ||||||
15 | facility, or
grade separation under the jurisdiction of the | ||||||
16 | Illinois Department of
Transportation or any municipality, | ||||||
17 | public water facility, road district,
highway
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18 | commissioner, or drainage district;
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19 | (2) for maintenance and improvement of drainage of or | ||||||
20 | on agricultural
land; and
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21 | (3) for the purpose of improving, maintaining, | ||||||
22 | repairing, constructing, or
reconstructing any facility | ||||||
23 | for the distribution, transmission, or generation
of | ||||||
24 | electricity.
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25 | For the purpose of this subsection, "clear cutting" means
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26 | the complete removal of mature or established trees covering an |
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1 | area of 400
square yards or more of which leaves less than 50% | ||||||
2 | of the existing forest
cover. "Clear cutting" does not include | ||||||
3 | any of the following:
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4 | (1) The removal of brush or woody debris.
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5 | (2) The selective cutting of diseased, dying, or dead | ||||||
6 | trees.
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7 | (3) The selective cutting of individual trees for the | ||||||
8 | purpose of home
construction.
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9 | (4) The selective cutting of individual trees that pose | ||||||
10 | a threat to
private
property.
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11 | (5) The clearing of trees for restoration purposes to | ||||||
12 | include:
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13 | (i) removal of non-native tree species and the | ||||||
14 | subsequent
reestablishment of native tree species;
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15 | (ii) thinning of trees for the purposes of | ||||||
16 | encouraging the growth of
preferential tree species;
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17 | (iii) restoration of wetlands, prairies, or other | ||||||
18 | natural areas that
will not cause or contribute to | ||||||
19 | streambank destabilization.
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20 | (6) The removal of trees or woody vegetation pursuant | ||||||
21 | to any State or
Federal
conservation plan contracts, or | ||||||
22 | when approved by the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers and the | ||||||
23 | Department.
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24 | The Department of Natural Resources may adopt rules for the | ||||||
25 | administration of
this subsection and shall adopt rules | ||||||
26 | permitting a municipality with a
population of 500,000 or less |
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1 | to petition the Department of Natural
Resources to permit clear | ||||||
2 | cutting to accommodate necessary socioeconomic
development | ||||||
3 | projects.
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4 | (c) When considering whether to issue a permit for | ||||||
5 | construction or maintenance or repair of a levee or flood wall | ||||||
6 | under this Section, the Department of Natural Resources shall | ||||||
7 | consider the flood discharge that would just overtop a levee or | ||||||
8 | flood wall when conducting a worst-case scenario analysis. | ||||||
9 | For purposes of this subsection, "worst-case scenario | ||||||
10 | analysis" means the calculation of the maximum increases in | ||||||
11 | flood heights, velocities, and damages a project would cause | ||||||
12 | due to conveyance and storage losses, considering both the | ||||||
13 | project alone and the combined effects of other existing | ||||||
14 | construction and reasonably anticipated obstructive | ||||||
15 | construction on similarly situated properties in the locality. | ||||||
16 | (Source: P.A. 91-907, eff. 1-1-01.)
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17 | Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon | ||||||
18 | becoming law.
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