(615 ILCS 5/26) (from Ch. 19, par. 73)
Sec. 26.
The Department of Natural Resources shall, for the purpose of
protecting the rights and interests of the State of Illinois, or the
citizens of the State of Illinois, have full and complete jurisdiction of
every public body of water in the State of Illinois, subject only to the
paramount authority of the Government of the United States with reference
to the navigation of such stream or streams, and the laws of Illinois, but
nothing in this Act contained shall be construed or held to be any
impairment whatsoever of the rights of the citizens of the State of
Illinois to fully and in a proper manner, enjoy the use of any and all of
the public waters of the State of Illinois, and the jurisdiction of the
Department of Natural Resources shall be deemed to be for the purpose of
protecting the rights of the people of the State in the full and free
enjoyment of all such bodies of water, and for the purpose of preventing
unlawful and improper encroachment upon the same, or impairment of the
rights of the people with reference thereto, and every proper use which the
people may make of the public rivers and streams and lakes of the State of
Illinois shall be aided, assisted, encouraged and protected by the
Department of Natural Resources.
(Source: P.A. 89-445, eff. 2-7-96.)
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