CMAP Regional Water-Supply Study

View related pages: - Minutes & Agendas - 2007 Meeting Schedule - List of RWSPG Members - SWS Water Supply Planning   (SWS Meeting Presentations) - CMAP Committees Download related documents: - Draft Planning Principles - Interim Goals - RWSPG Operational Guidelines - CMAP Documents

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Mission Statement

To consider the future water supply needs of northeastern Illinois and develop plans and programs to guide future use that provide adequate and affordable water for all users, including support for economic development, agriculture and the protection of our natural ecosystems.

On June 26, 2007, the Northeastern Illinois Water Supply Planning Group adopted a set of interim goals, which can be viewed here.

General Information

In January 2006, Governor Blagojevich issued Executive Order 2006-1, calling for a statewide study of water-supply issues. The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) has been commissioned by the State of Illinois Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to facilitate such a process for an 11-county planning area of northeastern Illinois.  See a brochure describing the statewide water-supply planning initiative.

CMAP hosted an open forum in November 2006 (see a recap of the meeting, the agenda, a press release, selected presenters' slides, and a summary of participants' feedback) to launch the three-year regional initiative, which covers Boone, Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, and Will counties. With 166 attendees, that event represented 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.

Our region's economy and well-being depend on the availability of water.  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 RWSPG for northeastern Illinois will focus on the 11-county 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.)

See below for a list of planning group members, who were picked in January 2007 by caucuses that represented 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

In addition to coordinating 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. The northeastern Illinois effort is one of two initial pilot studies commissioned by the State of Illinois. The other is being carried out by the Mahomet Aquifer Consortium in east-central Illinois. 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. 

For more information, contact Tim Loftus of CMAP at 312-386-8666.

Meetings are scheduled for the fourth Tuesday of each month. End times for meetings scheduled for outlying locations are tentative and subject to extension as agendas are finalized.

Northeastern Illinois Regional Water Supply Planning Group