The Peoria County Board voted overwhelmingly to approve on-site wastewater system code changes. A special wastewater working group has met 11 times since April working on the proposed rules. Two board members voted against the rules, saying they were beyond what state code required and were too strict on residents. Board member Mike Phelan supported the code changes. He says the new regulations reflect months of cooperation between residents:
“We had asked the citizens to get involved and the citizens really took charge of this issue and I think they did an outstanding job of coming back with a solution,” Phelan says.
The new regulations include requiring homeowners to prove their whole septic systems are safe when repairing only a part of the system. In other business, the County Board approved two labor agreements with the Engineers and Sheriff Deputy Unions. Each agreement lasts for five years and includes wage increases up to three percent annually.