A lawsuit filed Monday in Champaign County Circuit Court contends that contamination from a natural gas leak north of Mahomet has spread to additional residential water wells.

Illinois Senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth have signed on with ten other Democrats to support a bill to help small and disadvantaged communities improve the safety of their drinking water.

Illinois elementary schools and day care centers must test drinking water sources for lead and notify parents of the results under legislation signed into law Monday by Gov. Bruce Rauner. The plan for required one-time testing takes effect immediately and applies to schools with students up to grade 5 and facilities built before 2000.

Drinking water has been part of the national conversation since the discovery of lead in Flint, Michigan’s water supply last year. That’s one reason the Prairie Rivers Network has invited George Hawkins to speak at their annual dinner Friday in Champaign. Hawkins is the General Manager and CEO of DC Water, one of the largest municipal water companies in the country.

To this day, Flint's water is still not safe to drink without a filter. While funding has been scarce to fix corroded pipes, Congress reached a deal this week that could send millions of dollars in aid to Flint.