The Champaign County Board Environment and Land Use Committee (ELUC) will hold its regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. today in the Lyle Shields Meeting Room of the Brookens Administrative Center, 1776 E. Washington St. in Urbana.
After consulting with state and county officials, the ELUC is expected to propose an amendment to the County Board of Health that would mandate water -- or a mix of water, ethanol, methanol or propylene glycol -- as the only acceptable heat-exchange fluid in closed-loop well systems.
A closed-loop well system is a type of geothermal heating system that circulates a mix of water and some heat-exchange fluid through a continuous loop of pipe. There are currently no rules limiting what types of coolants can be used as part of the fluid in the pipes, and because the pipe loop is buried several feet below ground, some have raised concerns about the potential for groundwater contamination if the pipe were to spring a leak.
The Illinois Department of Public Health's (IDPH) Private Water and Closed Loop Well Program manager, David Johnson, told county officials that he would propose the same rule change at the state level. IDPH's cooperation is crucial, as county officials found during their months-long review of the issue that they could pass, but not implement, a rule change of their own without approval at the state level.
In other business, the ELUC is also expected to grant a one-day license for a lawnmower derby at the Champaign County Fair Association Fairgrounds, to be held on Sunday.
The board is also expected to renew the hotel/motel license of the Motel 6 on North Cunningham Avenue, as well as the recreation and entertainment licenses for several local businesses.
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