These days it’s too easy to let our precious resources slip quietly away, victim to convenience and the status quo. But at MPC, we fight for smarter solutions, from better stormwater management to more responsive government, because we believe that our region’s resources are worth preserving.
When developers build new or redevelop old buildings in our region, stormwater ordinances dictate that they must dedicate space to manage stormwater on their sites. But these stormwater controls are expensive and possibly unnecessary in areas with enough capacity to handle storms. What if developers had the option to instead purchase stormwater credits for storage installed off-site, at locations needing flood relief, to comply with the ordinance and enable more widespread flooding solutions? Enter StormStore™, which could be the first stormwater credit trading market in the Midwest. In 2018, MPC worked with The Nature Conservancy to investigate the feasibility and need for such a unique and exciting market.
MPC co-leads Transform Illinois with DuPage County, a government efficiency-focused collaborative of elected officials, civic organizations, and research institutions.
We’re infamous: By now you’ve likely heard that Illinois has more than 7,000 units of government, more than any other state in the nation. In the spirit of solutions, MPC co-leads Transform Illinois with DuPage County, a government efficiency-focused collaborative of elected officials, civic organizations, and research institutions. In 2018, the coalition supported eight bills that were passed by the Illinois General Assembly to increase transparency, accountability, and voter empowerment. These are vital steps forward to efficient government that works for all of us.
Although our region is located on the shores of a Great Lake, almost 20% of Northeastern Illinois’ population relies on drinking water from groundwater. Will County—home of Joliet, Illinois’ third-largest city—is one such place. Current groundwater depletion poses a significant and time-critical challenge for ensuring sustainable drinking water resources. MPC facilitated discussions to activate regional water supply planning efforts, which resulted in improved data reporting of water usage. The City of Joliet moving forward with an alternative water supply study, and—best of all—a new, cross-municipality Water Committee dedicated to regional coordination and education.