98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2013 and 2014
SB2966

 

Introduced 2/4/2014, by Sen. Heather A. Steans

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
New Act

    Creates the Urban Flooding Awareness Act. Defines "urban flooding". Provides that, by June 30, 2015, the Department of Natural Resources, in consultation with the Illinois Emergency Management Agency, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, the Illinois Housing Development Authority, the Department of Commerce and Economic Development, the Department of Insurance, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, the Illinois State Water Survey of the University of Illinois, and other State, regional, and local storm water management agencies, thought leaders, and interested parties, shall submit to the General Assembly and the Governor a report that reviews and evaluates the latest available research, laws, regulations, policies, procedures, and institutional knowledge concerning issues of urban flooding. Effective immediately.


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A BILL FOR

 

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1    AN ACT concerning safety.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Urban
5Flooding Awareness Act.
 
6    Section 5. Definitions. As used in this Act, "urban
7flooding" means the inundation of property in a built
8environment, particularly in more densely populated areas,
9caused by rainfall overwhelming the capacity of drainage
10systems, such as storm sewers. "Urban flooding" does not
11include flooding in undeveloped or agricultural areas. "Urban
12flooding" includes (i) situations in which stormwater enters
13buildings through windows, doors, or other openings, (ii) water
14backup through sewer pipes, showers, toilets, sinks, and floor
15drains, (iii) seepage through walls and floors, (iv) the
16accumulation of water on property or public rights-of-way, and
17(v) overflow from bodies of water, such as rivers and lakes.
 
18    Section 10. Urban Flooding Study. By June 30, 2015, the
19Department of Natural Resources, in consultation with the
20Illinois Emergency Management Agency, the Illinois
21Environmental Protection Agency, the Illinois Housing
22Development Authority, the Department of Commerce and Economic

 

 

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1Development, the Department of Insurance, the Federal
2Emergency Management Agency, the Metropolitan Water
3Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, the Illinois State
4Water Survey of the University of Illinois, and other State,
5regional, and local storm water management agencies, thought
6leaders, and interested parties as the Director of Natural
7Resources deems appropriate, shall submit to the General
8Assembly and the Governor a report that reviews and evaluates
9the latest available information, research, laws, regulations,
10policies, procedures, and institutional knowledge, with
11recommendations based on the findings in relation to:
12    (1) the prevalence and costs associated with urban flooding
13events across the State, and the trends in frequency and
14severity over the past two decades;
15    (2) the apparent impact of global climate change on urban
16flooding;
17    (3) the impacts of county stormwater programs on urban
18flooding over the past 2 decades, including a listing of
19projects and programs and the flood damages avoided;
20    (4) the effects of the buyout of repetitive loss structures
21and an assessment of the number and location of remaining flood
22prone structures;
23    (5) an evaluation of policies such as using the 100-year
24storm as the standard for designing urban stormwater detention
25infrastructure, and the 10-year storm for the design of
26stormwater conveyance systems;

 

 

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1    (6) a review of technology to evaluate floodplains and the
2risk of property damage from urban flooding, whether a property
3is in or adjacent to a 1% (100-year) floodplain or not,
4including LiDAR, unsteady floodplain modeling, and geographic
5information systems;
6    (7) strategies for minimizing damage to property from urban
7flooding, with a focus on rapid, low-cost approaches, such as
8non-structural and natural infrastructure, and methods for
9financing them;
10    (8) the consistency of the criteria for State funding of
11flood control projects between the Department of Natural
12Resources, Illinois Emergency Management Agency, and the
13Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Development;
14    (9) strategies for increasing participation in the
15National Flood Insurance Program and Community Rating System;
16and
17    (10) strategies and practices to increase the
18availability, affordability and effectiveness of flood
19insurance and basement back-up insurance.
 
20    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
21becoming law.