Illinois Faces Water Supply Challenges

• January 9, 2006

( Chicago ) … Despite our location next to one of the world’s largest bodies of fresh water, the quantity and quality of water throughout Illinois presents an immediate challenge. To address the water supply issue on a statewide level the Metropolitan Planning Council (MPC) and Openlands, in conjunction with the Campaign for Sensible Growth, today will co-release a report, Troubled Waters: Meeting Future Water Needs in Illinois , which recommends a statewide framework for water planning and management.

Water supply is a major concern. Today, northeastern Illinois uses 18 billion gallons of water daily, and these numbers are expected to increase 28 percent by 2025 as a result of population growth, development and increased consumption. Limitations on water diverted from Lake Michigan, combined with a major drought affecting northern and central Illinois , create a situation that requires immediate attention.

Troubled Waters, the result of a two-year study funded by the Joyce Foundation, details the critical factors restricting use of water from Lake Michigan, including the U.S. Supreme Court limitations and the recent agreements of the Great Lakes Governors and Canadian Premiers. With growth occurring in areas unable to withdraw water from Lake Michigan, potential water shortages in at least 11 townships in northeastern Illinois are forecast by the year 2020.

Governor Blagojevich has been very responsive to the issues raised and recommendations made in Troubled Waters. He has indicated he will be proactive in facing the challenges to maintaining Illinois ’ water supply.

The report covers issues relating to decreasing supplies of groundwater and surface waters and explains the importance of understanding how these two sources are interconnected. With no statewide agency currently responsible for water supply oversight, the report recommends the establishment of a statewide framework for regional water supply assessment, planning and management, with decisions made at the regional level. It also recommends evaluating the water demand aspect of land-use proposals, the implementation of local recharge area protection programs, guidelines for local water conservation practices, the use of alternative wastewater systems and other specific actions to address the growing demand.

“With water quality issues in the forefront and limitations on our water supply, it is imperative that this issue receive statewide attention,” said Scott Goldstein, MPC’s vice president of policy and planning, and a project principal. “Expected growth in the Chicago metropolitan region, especially in the far western and southern parts, will strain our water resources. State and regional leadership are crucial because water knows no political boundaries.”

The report outlines the challenges to maintaining a sustainable water supply in Illinois . “These challenges must be addressed,” according to Joyce O’Keefe, deputy director of Openlands, and a project principal. “We recommend the creation of a statewide framework for water supply planning, which includes the establishment of regional planning areas that will develop regional resource management plans and address site-specific problems. The state would coordinate the development of these regional plans.”

The report will be released at a Jan. 9, 2006 meeting of the Campaign for Sensible Growth. Following the presentation of the report by Goldstein and O’Keefe, there was a panel discussion, Implications for Illinois, with Illinois Senator Susan Garrett (D-29^th) and Kane County Board chairman, Karen McConnaughay.  Then, the audience heard a presentation, Lessons from Texas, from Bill Mullican of the Texas Water Development Board who shared his experiences with one of the nation’s premier water supply planning programs.

Troubled Waters is available online on the Campaign for Sensible Growth Web site and on Openlands’ Web site at www.openlands.org, along with a fact sheet that summarizes the major factors affecting water supply and quality in Illinois , as well as the main recommendations in the report.

The Joyce Foundation provided special funding for the Water Resources and Sustainable Growth in the Chicago Region project, of which Troubled Waters is one component. 

The Campaign for Sensible Growth is an action-oriented coalition of government, civic, and business leaders in northeastern Illinois’ six counties (Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, and Will) working to promote economic development while preserving open space, minimizing the need for costly new infrastructure, and improving the livability of our communities.

Founded in 1934, the Metropolitan Planning Council (MPC) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan group of business and civic leaders committed to serving the public interest through the promotion and implementation of sensible planning and development policies necessary for an economically competitive Chicago region. MPC researches and develops policy recommendations and conducts outreach and advocacy in partnership with public officials and community leaders to enhance equity of opportunity and quality of life throughout metropolitan Chicago.

Founded in 1963, Openlands is a nonprofit conservation organization that protects, expands, and enhances public open space – both land and water – within the City of Chicago, the greater Chicago metropolitan area, and beyond, into counties across northeastern Illinois and across state lines in southeastern Wisconsin and northwestern Indiana to provide a healthy natural environment and more livable place for people throughout the region. Openlands also advocates for improved statewide policies for the protection of open space across Illinois.

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 For more information, contact project principals of Troubled Waters, Scott Goldstein, MPC’s vice president of policy and planning, at 312-863-6003 or sgoldstein@metroplanning.org; and Joyce O’Keefe, Openlands’ deputy director at 312-863-6263 or jokeefe@openlands.org.

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