Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning will
coordinate the 11-county planning area's efforts to anticipate and address
potential water shortages
CHICAGO, November 16, 2006 -- The Chicago Metropolitan
Agency for Planning (CMAP) has been commissioned by the State of Illinois
Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to facilitate water-supply planning for an
11-county area of northern Illinois. CMAP will host an open forum on
November 17 in Oak Brook to launch this three-year regional initiative, meant to
anticipate and address potential water shortages in Boone, Cook, DeKalb, DuPage,
Grundy, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, and Will counties.
The forum in Oak Brook represents a critical first step toward creating a new
Regional Water Supply Planning Group (RWSPG), which will be charged with making
recommendations on water-resource policies and plans. The forum is described at
http://www.chicagoareaplanning.org/watersupply/, which includes a form to
nominate potential members of the RWSPG.
Lake Michigan is one of the world’s largest fresh-water resources, but
population forecasts indicate parts of the region may suffer water deficits in
coming years. The northern Illinois study will focus on the planning area's
deep bedrock aquifer and the Fox River Basin's shallow bedrock aquifer. (An
aquifer is a body of geologic material that can supply useful quantities of
groundwater to natural springs and water wells.)
The three-year regional effort will be funded by IDNR at $1.4 million. This is
one of two initial priority areas selected by the State of Illinois in response
to Governor Blagojevich's Executive Order 2006-1, calling for a statewide study
of water-supply issues. The other area is the Mahomet Aquifer of east-central
Illinois.
"Our region’s economy and well-being depend on the availability of water," said
Randy Blankenhorn, CMAP executive director. "Yet decisions about how, when and
where land gets developed often don't give full consideration to long-term water
supplies. And often as a region, we haven't given our communities the water
data to make well-informed choices. As part of the broader statewide
initiative, CMAP is excited to help coordinate this regional planning effort."
RWSPG members will be picked in December 2006 by caucuses that represent each of
the following stakeholder groups:
1. Municipalities and Municipal
Water Suppliers
2. Counties
3. Agriculture
4. Business, Industry, and Power
5. Conservation and Resource Management
6. Environmental Advocacy
7. Academia and Public Interest in Regional Planning
8. Real Estate and Development
9. Wastewater Treatment and Non-municipal Water Suppliers
"Lessons learned from the two pilot studies will lead to
effective planning processes in other regions of Illinois," said Karen
McConnaughay, Kane County Board chairperson, who will also chair the RWSPG.
"It's vitally important that our region and the state establish a framework for
planning and cooperation now, before water supplies reach a potential crisis
stage. With its rapid growth, Kane County has already been aggressively studying
these issues, and I look forward to this regional effort to improve
communication, coordination, and decision making."
In addition to facilitating creation of the RWSPG, CMAP
will develop water-demand forecasts for the Illinois State Water Survey (ISWS)
and work with the RWSPG to craft a plan that includes implementation strategies.
The ISWS will match water-demand forecasts with data on water supply to develop
water-availability scenarios projected to the year 2050. Other partners in the
regional effort include county planning departments, the Metropolitan Planning
Council, and the Openlands Project.
CMAP and the RWSPG will submit the resulting water-supply
plan to the State of Illinois for approval. Over the next three years, the State
of Illinois is expected to define a comprehensive program for state and regional
water-supply planning, including development of standards for regional plans and
guidance for regional planning processes.
--END--
Event details:
Open Forum on Water-Supply Planning in Northeastern
Illinois
Friday, November 17, 2006
8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Hamburger University
McDonald’s Corporate Campus
2715 Jorie Blvd.
Oak Brook, IL 60523
