Experiencing Drought series: As dry weather persists, water providers share their perspectives - Metropolitan Planning Council

Skip to main content

Experiencing Drought series: As dry weather persists, water providers share their perspectives

Flickr CC/Ken Schneider

After last summer's hot, dry weather, winter's snow (and a little rain) is a welcome relief. The drought of 2012 is not yet over, however, and neither is the work of protecting our water supplies. For those municipal and private suppliers who manage, transport, treat and distribute the water we use and consume, the drought strained their ability to operate systems, forced increased spending on supplies and energy, and tested municipal conservation efforts. From water shortages to main breaks to infrastructure failures to lawn watering bans, communities and utilities throughout northeastern Illinois have much to learn from each other on how to handle future droughts in the face of fiscal constraints, aging infrastructure, and uncertain climate. 

MPC has invited public works officials and private water suppliers to share their experiences and lessons from the 2012 drought and the work they're doing now to prepare for future drought in our blog series, Experiencing Drought. Check back here for updates as the series progresses.


Aurora balances river and groundwater for a growing population by Dave Schumacher

A critical need for water appreciation and sustainability in Moline by Greg Swanson

Low river levels pose water quality challenges for Elgin by Kyla Jacobsen

Crystal Lake's lawn watering ordinance put to the test by Andrew Resek

Illinois American Water makes long-term infrastructure investments for reliable water supplies by Michael Smyth


Other drought resources:


U.S. Drought Monitor Midwest - updated every Thursday

Illinois State Water Survey drought updates - updated periodically

Illinois Drought Response Task Force

National Drought Impact Reporter

Comments

No comments

More posts by Abby

All posts by Abby »

MPC on Twitter

Follow us on Twitter »


Stay in the loop!

MPC's Regionalist newsletter keeps you up to date with our work and our upcoming events.?

Subscribe to Regionalist


Most popular news

Browse by date »

This page can be found online at http://archive.metroplanning.org/news/6632

Metropolitan Planning Council 140 S. Dearborn St.
Suite 1400
Chicago, Ill. 60603
312 922 5616 info@metroplanning.org

Sign up for newsletter and alerts »

Shaping a better, bolder, more equitable future for everyone

For more than 85 years, the Metropolitan Planning Council (MPC) has partnered with communities, businesses, and governments to unleash the greatness of the Chicago region. We believe that every neighborhood has promise, every community should be heard, and every person can thrive. To tackle the toughest urban planning and development challenges, we create collaborations that change perceptions, conversations—and the status quo. Read more about our work »

Donate »