Springfield, IL — Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan on April 27 proposed an amendment to the Illinois Right to Know law that would require the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) to notify consumers of contaminated drinking water supplies within two weeks of the discovery of a threat of contamination, according to a news release from Madigan’s office.

Madigan’s amendment, which will be state Senate Amendment #1 to HB 4021, is sponsored by Illinois Reps. Frank Mautino, D-Spring Valley, and Robert Rita, D-Crestwood, and by state Sen. Susan Garrett, D-Lake Forest.

While current law requires notification of contamination to go to the owners and operators of the water system (in this case, the village of Crestwood), it does not currently require notification of the people who drink the water.

“The very fact that the residents of Crestwood may have been exposed to contaminated drinking water for more than 20 years and now have to worry about how that exposure might have affected their health and the health of their families, demonstrates that this change is long overdue,” Madigan is quoted as saying in the release. “I want to make sure that people have the information that they need to protect themselves.”

In related news, US Rep. Bobby L. Rush, D-IL, in an April 27 letter asked US Attorney General Eric Holder to investigate the village of Crestwood to determine if civil or criminal charges are warranted against the municipality regarding the discovery that contaminated water was knowingly supplied to the community, according to an April 27 release from Rush’s office.

To read the full Madigan release, click here.

To read the full Rush release, click here.

For related information, click here.