For Immediate Release Press Contact:  Tom Garritano (312-386-8609 or tgarritano@cmap.illinois.org)   Regional Water Supply Planning Group to address potential water shortages in northeastern Illinois   Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning is coordinating the 11-county planning area's efforts, part of a statewide water-supply initiative  CHICAGO, March 23, 2007 -- The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) has organized a new planning group to study water supplies in an 11-county region of northeastern Illinois, where potential water shortages are projected in coming years. The Regional Water Supply Planning Group (RWSPG) will have a leading role in developing a comprehensive regional water supply plan for an 11-county area that includes Boone, Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, and Will counties.  "Formation of this planning group is an important step toward identifying possible water shortages," said Randy Blankenhorn, CMAP executive director.  "Just as important, our agency will work closely with this representative body to find the best potential solutions.  In the interests of public health, economic prosperity, and environmental protection, the Regional Water Supply Planning Group will seek to ensure adequate supplies of clean water at reasonable cost to all users in northeastern Illinois." The group consists of 35 members chosen by special caucuses to represent each of the following stakeholder groups:    1.      Municipalities and Municipal Water Suppliers 2.      County Governments 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   With coordination by CMAP, the RWSPG will be integral to a three-year regional planning effort to forecast water demand, gauge the possibility of shortages and identify solutions.  The regional water supply study will address the deep bedrock aquifer underlying the 11-county planning region, surface water and shallow aquifers of the Fox River Basin, and water demand for the entire region, including communities that receive Lake Michigan water.  An aquifer is a body of geologic material that can supply useful quantities of groundwater to natural springs and water wells. The RWSPG is chaired by Karen McConnaughay, chairperson of the Kane County Board.  Its other members are listed below and on the CMAP web at http://www.chicagoareaplanning.org/watersupply/. The regional effort was prompted by Governor Blagojevich's Executive Order 2006-1, which called for a statewide study of water supply issues.  The order recognized the importance of fresh water supply to the state's economy and quality of life during a time when increasing population forecasts threaten fresh water resources.  The statewide effort is led by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR), which selected CMAP to facilitate water supply planning in northeastern Illinois. As part of the effort, CMAP will also develop water-demand forecasts for the Illinois State Water Survey (ISWS) and work with the RWSPG to craft a plan that includes implementation strategies for addressing potential shortages.  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.   --END--    Northeastern Illinois Regional Water Supply Planning Group            Last Name First Name Caucus Group  County / Council of Government Affiliation Abboud Robert Municipalities / Municipal Water Suppliers McHenry County Council of Governments President, The Village of Barrington Hills Bilotta James County Government Will County Board member Borgo William Municipalities / Municipal Water Suppliers Will County Governmental League Mayor of Manhattan Brown Conor Real Estate and Development McHenry Government Affairs Director, Illinois Assoc. of Realtors Darch Karen Municipalities / Municipal Water Suppliers Northwest Municipal Conference / West Cook Municipal Conference President, Village of Barrington Deal  Joe Municipalities / Municipal Water Suppliers City of Chicago Assistant to the Mayor Dudgeon Jerry County Government Kendall Director, Planning, Building, and Zoning Edstrom Jeffrey Conservation and Resource Management Cook Project Planner, GeoSyntec Consultants Goldstein Scott Academia, Public Interest in Regional Planning Cook VP of Policy and Planning, Metropolitan Planning Council Greenspan Jeffrey Conservation and Resource Management Cook Senior Project Manager, The Trust for Public Land Jaffe Martin Academia, Public Interest in Regional Planning Cook Dir. and Associate Professor, University of Illinois Chicago Jirik Alan Business, Industry, and Power Cook Dir. of Corp. Regulatory Affairs, Corn Products International, Inc. Kenyon Mike Agriculture Kane Farmer, Kane County Board member Koehler Ken County Government McHenry County Board Chairman Kruse Karl County Government Kankakee County Board Chairman Martin Robert Municipalities / Municipal Water Suppliers DuPage Mayors and Managers Conference General Manager, DuPage Water Commission McConnaughay Karen Chairperson Kane Chairman, Kane County Board  McLaughlin Daniel Municipalities / Municipal Water Suppliers Southwest Council of Mayors / South Suburban Mayors and Managers President, Village of Orland Park O'Keefe Joyce Environmental Advocacy Lake Deputy Director, Openlands Project Olthoff William Agriculture Kankakee Farmer,  Rathje S. Louis County Government DuPage Chairman, DuPage Water Commission Rotunno Lynn Environmental Advocacy Cook   Schuh Jeffrey Business, Industry, and Power DuPage Senior Vice President, Patrick Engineering, Inc. Serafino Sergio Wastewater, Non-Municipal Water Suppliers Cook Supervising Civil Eng., Metropolitan Water Reclam. Dist. of GC Sheaffer Jack Wastewater, Non-Municipal Water Suppliers DuPage Principal, Sheaffer International, L.L.C. Smith Patrick Real Estate and Development McHenry General Counsel, Deer Point Homes TBD   Municipalities / Municipal Water Suppliers Boone, Grundy, Kankakee County Mayors   TBD   Municipalities / Municipal Water Suppliers Lake County Municipal League   Thomson Carter Bonnie County Government Lake County Board member Tobias Ruth Anne County Government DeKalb County Board Chairman Wallers Peter Municipalities / Municipal Water Suppliers Metro West Council of Governments President, Engineering Enterprises, Inc. Ward Catherine County Government Boone County Board Chairwoman Weisner Thomas Municipalities / Municipal Water Suppliers Metro West Council of Governments Mayor of Aurora TBD   County Government Cook   TBD   County Government Grundy