Suburban growth seen as crimping
regional water supplies
By Michael Hawthorne
Tribune staff reporter
Published June 17, 2006
For a sprawling
metropolis next to one of the world's largest sources of fresh water,
the idea that the Chicago area could suffer water shortages may seem
preposterous.
But regional
planners say northeastern Illinois is expected to grow so fast during
the next two decades that finding water for everyone will be difficult.
The forecast is
dire enough that state and regional officials are embarking on a new
effort to give water a bigger role in determining where people live.
Details are
sketchy--and for now the plans and programs are strictly voluntary--but
a growing number of planners and environmentalists argue that taking
steps now could prevent a water crisis in the future.
"This isn't
something that communities in the region have traditionally thought
about," said Kerry Leigh, director of environment and national resources
for the Northeastern Illinois Regional Planning Commission.
The commission
estimates that at least 11 townships in Chicago's outer suburbs will
experience water shortages by 2020. Some experts think the number could
be even higher, based on projected increases in population and
development.
Illinois lawmakers
included about $1 million in the next state budget for the Illinois
Water Supply Initiative, an effort prompted by a series of reports
documenting how and where the area could go dry.
Gov. Rod
Blagojevich nudged the program along with an executive order directing
state agencies to put together water management plans for the Chicago
area and a swath of central Illinois.
People behind the
initiative say municipalities need to think more about how water sources
extend beyond political boundaries and to start planning for limited
supplies.
Among other steps,
they say, more land needs to be set aside so rainfall can percolate back
into the ground and recharge underground aquifers that provide well
water. There also needs to be more emphasis on conserving water and
managing development so water is used more wisely, the planners say.
"We don't think
all of the solutions have to be painful," said Debbie Stone, deputy
director of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. "The idea is
to avoid situations where we can't accommodate a new [manufacturing]
plant or have to restrict lawn watering to every other day."
Much of the
Chicago area relies on water from Lake Michigan, but that source is all
but tapped out.
After engineers
reversed the Chicago River at the beginning of the last century, other
states sued Illinois for reducing the amount of water that flows into
the Great Lakes. The result was a U.S. Supreme Court decision that
limits the amount of water pumped from Lake Michigan to about 1.2
billion gallons a day.
That water is
divvied up between Chicago and about 200 other cities and villages. It's
enough for now, but probably not enough to meet increased demand as the
area's population grows.
Likewise, the deep
aquifer that some of Chicago's outer suburbs rely on is almost dry. |