Illinois EPA asks Hebron for ‘better’ water protection plan

Hebron’s village board on Monday night approved spending up to $11,175 to contract with Engineering Enterprises, Inc., to rewrite and resubmit its source water protection plan.

Required by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, a source water protection plan shows that a municipal water supplier is protecting the water that may end up in its wells “pumped into the distribution system and into the tap,” said Tim Holdeman of the engineering firm.

There is no problem with Hebron’s well water, or anything to show that it has been contaminated in the past, Hebron Village President Robert Shelton said.

Hebron has two active wells, both about 275 feet deep, Holdeman said, explaining that both end in the sand and gravel layer above the aquifer and “you draw from the sand and gravel on top of the bedrock.”

Well No. 4, near the water tower, is in the vicinity of commercial-industrial facilities that use chemicals, Holdeman said.

“If they are not careful with the storage or use [of chemicals], they can leak and get into the ground and into the groundwater,” he said.

Well No. 5 is near Hebron Community Park and agricultural uses, Holdeman said. Agricultural chemicals, if overused, can leach into the groundwater too.

The source water plan should ensure the water provider – Hebron – has a plan to prevent contamination from these points.

“As the community water supplier, you have a responsibility to make sure the water is fine,” Holdeman said.

State law, enacted in 2019, set dates for when municipal water systems must submit their plans. For towns of less than 3,000 residents, that deadline was July 26. A plan was submitted by Hebron’s water department, Holdeman said, but “the IEPA asked Hebron to submit a better plan.”

The IEPA is aware that Hebron is working with Holdeman on a new plan, Shelton said.

The engineering firm will give the village four items required by the law, including a vision statement about its commitment to projecting source water, an assessment of its source water, its objectives for protecting and an action plan.

At a kickoff meeting, Holdeman will speak with Shelton, the board and village staff about the vision statement and resource allocation.

“Then we will go away and do the science part of it,” he said.

A final plan could be before the village board by late September.

The $11,175 is a “not to exceed” number, Shelton said, noting the final bill could be much lower. The funds are coming from Hebron’s water and sewer fund, not the general fund, he added.