Sugar Grove Water Authority Local Events

• Partners:

  Northwest Water Planning Alliance

  City of Aurora

  Metropolitan Planning Council

• Attendance (160) May 12, 2016

  Regional politicians, water directors/operators, engineering firms, suppliers, conservationist, and general public.

• Message of Forum: Let’s work as partners to address regional water supply issues.

Agenda (See handout)

Feature speakers:

1. Mayor Tom Weisner, City of Aurora – Tom gave a strong 45 minute presentation covering the serious condition our Northern Illinois regional water supply.
2. Walt Kelly, Illinois State Water Survey spoke on local Groundwater desaturation.
3. Kyla Jacobsen, Director of water utility City of Elgin spoke on Water Pollution.
4. Peter Wallers, Northwestern Water Planning Alliance spoke on conservation.
5. Josh Ellis, Metropolitan Planning Council spoke on Regional Coordination. The Illinois Dept. of Health oversees state building code management of which the plumbers union has a direct say for the reuse of grey water.
6. Pat Mulroy, Brookings Institution. Pat serves as senior fellow for Climate Adaptation and Environmental Policy for Brookings Institute.

Pat’s talk described the Colorado River drought experience and it users of water.

Together, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Imperial Valley of California, and Sonora/Baja Mexico formed the alliance of Southern Nevada Water Authority. Result: Lake Mead rose 12 ft. and Las Vegas reuses 93% of their water.

This presentation was an agenda item at the Northwest Water Planning Alliance May 24, 2016 Technical Advisory Committee meeting in Elgin, Illinois.

Presenters: Dr. Daniel Abrams and Devin Mannix of the Illinois State Water Survey. Some notable remarks:

• Northwest and Northeast regions receive aquifer recharge from Rock River.
  • Northwest region pumps 40 mgd, or twice sustainable rate.
• Sandwich Fault Zone acts as a flow barrier to limit groundwater recharge from the southwest.
• Aquifer desaturation can be threatened when an aquifer switches from confined to unconfined, meaning   that the head has fallen below the top of the aquifer and pore spaces have started to dewater in response to withdrawals. Also, when upper confined aquifers have holes drilled thru thus draining   water into lower aquifers.
  • Presently, Campton Township in most danger of residential wells going dry by 2030.

• City of Aurora – October 2009

“Water shortages lie ahead for deep aquifers, planners warn. Water taken from the river is up to 63% in 2009 vs. 56% in 2008. The reason for that is energy conservation. It takes a tremendous amount of electricity to pump water from the deeper wells, which can be as deep as 900 feet. That’s also one reason the city will be drilling more shallow wells in the future.”

• City of North Aurora – July 2009

“Shallow wells that tap into the water table would be the village’s best long-term option, Young said. They would be replenished by rainfall, and they yield twice as many gallons per minute than deep wells”.
“But the village has no sites geo­logically suited to support shallow wells, so officials would have to buy or lease land elsewhere to drill a well in, then transport the water to the village’s system. The committee will discuss the issue in future meetings as Water De­partment research produces new findings, Young said.”

• “Switching to alternative sources of water will increase the viability of aquifers for those who have few alternatives, such as residential well owners and industries.”
• “As this problem has developed from the combined influence of sandstone withdrawals across the region, it is our recommendation communities collaborate in planning for future land use and water supply decisions.”

• “Oswego is looking into Lower Fox River Partnering Shared Services with Yorkville and Montgomery to use the Fox River as a source for drinking water. Engineering Enterprises of Sugar Grove was commissioned to do an analysis of options. Total package facility cost approx. $135 million.”

Village of Sugar Grove has determined they have access to regional shallow aquifers providing long term water supply thus avoiding the need to join neighboring water partners.

Who could be at long term risk — Local private residential well owners.

Appeal to local leaders for strategic shared services participation.

• Encourage strategic coordination among municipal governments to ensure continued delivery of high quality water to region’s residents.
• Reuse of grey water
• Fox River as water source

Educate populace as to changing groundwater levels and its impacts on locally available water supply.

Recommend local township voters to retain Sugar Grove Water Authority statute.