The costs of clean water

Aurora Mayor Tom Weisner explains how his city manages its water supply costs, while achieving Illinois’ best tasting water.

Photo by Emily Cikanek

Whether chocolate, wine or water, many people think great taste and low cost are trade-offs. That is why so many are willing to pay approximately 1,000 times more for bottled water than for tap water.

But City of Aurora Mayor Tom Weisner and Superintendent of Water Production Dave Schumacher don’t buy it. Over the past five years, Aurora has been reducing the cost of its water services while winning awards for customer satisfaction. “Our water has been named Illinois’ best tasting water three times in the last five years,” said Weisner, “and we’re achieving that level of satisfaction while trying to control costs, increase efficiency, and protect the environment. That’s no small task.”

Nor is it a simple one. Most communities in the Chicago region rely on a single water source—Lake Michigan—greatly streamlining water treatment and management. But Aurora draws its public supply from deep aquifers and the Fox River, along with a few shallow wells. Each source has unique quality characteristics and pumping demands, and as a result, varying costs. Communities with a mix of water sources, such as Aurora, Elgin, Ill., Kankakee, Ill., and Lake Station, Ind., are faced with a balancing act—protect each water source for the future, while minimizing costs today.

Learn how Aurora is managing its water supply by reading the complete story on the What Our Water's Worth blog. >>

Conservation tips

Think before you flush, Part 1: A family of four switching to a .28 gallons per flush WaterSense toilet can save 17,000 gallons of water per year.

Think before you flush, Part 2: Pharmaceuticals are not removed during waste water treatment.  Any medicine you flush down the toilet could end up in a waterway, harming wildlife and downstream water quality. Return expired drugs to a pharmacist or official disposal site, like the Fox Metro Water Reclamation District’s Medication Take-Back Program for City of Aurora residents.

Commit to the tap: If you’re hosting a meeting or party, first provide tap water in pitchers, then talk with people about the water, if only for a few seconds.  Raising awareness is the first step toward investment and stewardship. 

January 2011
www.chicagolandh2o.org

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What Our Water’s Worth is an ongoing campaign led by the Metropolitan Planning Council and Openlands to raise awareness about the value of water in northeastern Illinois and northwestern Indiana. From Lake Michigan to the Fox River, how we use our water resources — including what we conserve, how much we waste, and what we choose to invest in water quality — is up to each of us. This is our water — and it's worth more than we know.

WOWW factors

44.7%
Average water and wastewater systems’ share of total municipal energy use, for six Chicago suburbs in 2006.

66,000
Acres of protected land, out of 1,101,000 acres within the Illinois portion of the Fox River watershed.

$20,000
Estimated average monthly savings experienced by Aurora from increasing use of Fox River water.

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