Governor Rauner Signs Bill Calling For Infrastructure Corrosion Protection

January 20 Governor Rauner signed HB 3303 into law as Public Act 99-923, requiring Illinois EPA to adopt new rules mandating state of the art corrosion protection practices in public water supplies, to avert higher lead content in drinking water such as the levels found in Flint, Michigan and also in some Chicago public school buildings. The legislation passed the Illinois House in a unanimous vote of 109 to 0.

The new statute also requires Illinois DOT to adopt policies focused on preventing corrosion of new and repaired roadways and bridges, which will likely add to the construction cost of all future highway projects in the state, though prolonging the useful life of bridges and culverts should help cut the frequency and extend of future repair requirements. Contractors bidding on IDOT projects need to take these new rules into consideration when submitting bids on projects to be built in the future.