LOVES PARK, Ill. (AP) — The continuing lack of a state budget in Illinois is affecting upkeep and repairs at Illinois state parks.
Illinois Department of Natural Resources Director Wayne Rosenthal visited Olson Lake in Rock Cut State Park on Tuesday.
The lake was closed last month due to reduced water quality.
The Rockford Register Star reports that Rosenthal promised to dredge the lake near Rockford but offered no timetable and said his department has an $800 million backlog of deferred maintenance expenses.
He said the source of the problem is the lack of a budget.
Rosenthal says the department has a dredging machine but it’s broken and there’s no money for the $450,000 in repair costs.
Illinois has been without a budget for about 22 months and has a bill backlog of about $13.4 billion.
