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Water Supply

For years, Openlands has been at the forefront of water supply issues in Illinois, formulating and supporting strategies that address the demands of a growing population, as well as increasing industrial and agricultural consumption.

For example, on the same day that Governor Rod Blagojevich issued a 2006 executive order to launch state and regional water-supply planning and management initiatives, Openlands and the Metropolitan Planning Council (MPC) released Troubled Waters, which identified groundwater conditions and challenges at the time.

Troubled Waters remains relevant today—its warning that growing urbanization severely taxes Illinois aquifers and surface water sources continues to ring true. And its call for more sensible and strategic water-use practices persists as a priority for Openlands. These include:

• Repairing aging pipes and infrastructure,
• Requiring accurate water-use reporting,
• Water pricing that reflect its true cost, and
• Factoring water availability into development planning.

In 2008, Openlands continued its pioneering role in water-supply advocacy by pushing for the passage of the Great Lakes Basin Compact, conducting a review of the natural areas along the Lake Michigan shoreline, and partnerning with MPC to host a day-long regional water conference, Beyond Showerheads and Sprinklers: Water Governance Solutions for Illinois. This year Openlands and MPC co-hosted Before the Wells Run Dry: Ensuring Sustainable Water Supplies for Illinois.

Openlands and MPC will continue to advocate for better data and more coordinated water supply planning in Illinois, which are essential to balance water supply and demand. For more information about our water supply initiatives, please contact Openlands Policy Director Lenore Beyer-Clow via e-mail or by phone at 312-863-6264.

In anticipation of the forthcoming report Before the Wells Run Dry: Ensuring Sustainable Water Supplies for Illinois, in November, Openlands and the Metropolitan Planning Council (MPC) co-hosted an eponymous forum to promote strategies for sustainable water supply management in Illinois. The forum was opened by Jerry Adelmann, Openlands' executive director, and Mary Sue Barrett, of MPC. They presented preliminary findings of the forthcoming report and set the stage for discussion of water supply management and implementation strategies.  Twelve speakers shed light on Illinois’ distinct water challenges and underscored that while water is managed locally, the resource is regional

Henry Henderson, Director of the Midwest Program Natural Resources Defense Council said, “Currently, watersheds are very over subscribed. Illinois’ expectations are premised on abundance, but, the reality is, we are facing decreasing water quantity and quality.” He, in unanimity with the other panelists, urges for the coordination of state, regional, and local management of Illinois’ water resources so that consensus-driven strategies can be implemented. They explained that effective strategies for conservation and efficiency must coincide with the scale of resources; this requires inter-jurisdictional consideration. After all, water crosses political boundaries and rainwater falls where it will.

This forum and forthcoming report build upon the success of the two pilot regional water supply planning groups in northeastern Illinois and in the Mahomet Aquifer area. These groups were established in 2006 by a gubernatorial executive order. They have made considerable headway toward creating a framework for regional water supply planning and local implementation. We hope that renewed interest will be expressed at the November meeting of the Illinois Groundwater Association to provide state funding to expand the program to other parts of the state.

In order to accommodate future population growth, economic development and protection of our natural resources, the speakers also discussed the planning of and investment in new infrastructure, to avert water shortages. Speakers emphasized the need to leverage natural resources to create green infrastructure that will allow us to optimize our capacity to harvest and divert water as well as naturally treat it.

With 125 people in attendance, the water forum was a great success. Openlands and MPC were pleased that their vision of sustainability through conservation, efficiency, education, innovation and coordination, was well articulated by the panelists and well received by the attendees. In partnership with MPC, Openlands will continue to advocate for regional water supply planning and implementation in 2010.

Click here to access the PowerPoint presentations from the forum.

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Water Supply
Before the Wells Run Dry: Ensuring Sustainable Water Supplies for Illinois
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