​For communities grappling with water quantity and quality issues, seeking alternative sources of supply is often considered one of the last options. Some communities in the NWPA region are turning to Lake Michigan as a potential water source. However, accessing Lake Michigan water may not be feasible for everyone. Seeking and obtaining Lake Michigan water is a costly and timely endeavor that requires significant coordination and evaluation of options, which can result in uncertainty around its viability. If communities can obtain Lake Michigan water, they need to demonstrate their path to meet the Lake Michigan permit requirements, which include a goal of minimizing water loss to less than 10 percent and implementation of other required water conservation best practices. Nevertheless, accessing Lake Michigan is not an impossible endeavor, as demonstrated by the most recent agreement between the WaterLink communities – the Villages of Oswego and Montgomery and the United City of Yorkville – and the DuPage Water Commission.  

In 2021, the WaterLink partnership was formed between the Villages of Oswego and Montgomery, and United City of Yorkville. These communities united to address concerns about the depletion of their shared water source, the deep sandstone aquifer. Through individual and collective analyses of their water supply and demand, it was predicted that the municipalities would be at risk of well inoperability by as early as 2050. 

Through collaboration, the WaterLink communities (Oswego, Montgomery, and Yorkville) evaluated potential water source options, like the Fox River and Lake Michigan, by conducting cost analysis and exploring water withdrawal and transmission options. Withdrawal options included accessing water through already established water commissions, developing sub-regional systems, or building new infrastructure as an individual municipality. According to a consultant-led cost analysis for the Village of Oswego, the estimated total cost for transitioning all three communities to the Fox River water source was nearly $298 million ($261 million for regional improvements and $37 million for internal improvements) and $229 million to access water through the DuPage Water Commission (DWC) ($190 million for regional improvements and $39 million for internal improvements). Due to the sizeable cost savings, it was determined that accessing Lake Michigan water through the DWC would be the most cost-effective, secure, and sustainable option.
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To fund the project, each of the three municipalities aims to institute gradual rate increases across the project’s lifetime and secure additional funding when available. For example, the United City of Yorkville’s total estimated cost to connect to the DWC system and complete the required improvements within their Water Works System is $160 million ($32 million for phase one and $126 million for phase two). They recently applied for a U.S. EPA Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFA) loan, which could potentially provide up to $130 million for the project, significantly reducing the cost burden for the municipality. They also will be seeking loan funds from the Illinois EPA State Revolving Fund to meet their funding needs. 
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The agreement between DWC and the WaterLink communities was made official in October 2024 when DWC released a statement confirming the partnership and project cost of $250 million and outlining the next steps. Construction is expected to begin in 2025 and be completed in 2028. As communities tackle construction, additional steps will need to be taken now and into the future to ensure they are complying with the DWC’s Lake Michigan allocation permit water conservation and water loss control goals. Communities can turn to the NWPA’s water conservation resources, including a soon-to-be-released NWPA Water Supply Sustainability Plan, to help chart that path. Nevertheless, this partnership can pave the way for similar collaboration between municipalities with shared interests and be an example of how partnerships strengthen individual communities and make large-scale projects possible.

​Each winter, over 320,000 tons of salt in Chicago alone are spread on roads, parking lots, and sidewalks to manage ice. Excess salt from deicing applications often enters our water supplies, polluting drinking water and harming aquatic ecosystems. As fall arrives, it’s an important time for municipalities and contractors to prepare for the winter season by obtaining sensible salting certifications and refreshing their knowledge of best practices. Fortunately, NWPA communities have access to various resources to support these efforts. 

The NWPA partnered with The Conservation Foundation to develop a best practices manual for parking lots and sidewalks and establish a training and certification program through the Salt Smart Collaborative. The manual is designed to guide private contractors and owners of larger parking lots in using best practices that minimize the environmental impact of salt use. Additionally, several NWPA member counties, including McHenry and Lake Counties, have developed their own manuals, such as the McHenry County Snow and Ice Control Handbook and the Lake County Winter Parking Lot and Sidewalk Maintenance Manual. 

The Salt Smart Collaborative also offers workshops for winter professionals to become Salt Smart Certified. Upcoming training sessions for public roads will be held on September 24, October 3, October 8, and October 15. Trainings for parking lots and sidewalks are scheduled for September 26 and October 1. These half-day training sessions are designed for management-level staff from Illinois-based organizations, such as private contractors, businesses, park districts, school districts, and municipalities responsible for maintaining parking lots and sidewalks during the winter. By participating in Salt Smart Certified training, attendees will learn how adopting Salt Smart Practices can save money, reduce time spent on maintenance, safeguard the environment, and ensure safe surfaces for users.  
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Municipalities and water utilities can also remind community members that they, too, have a role in sensible salting. The Salt Smart Collaborate has extensive outreach resources for communicating best practices with residents, including blog posts and social media graphics. The Conservation Foundation also invites the public to participate in its sensible salting initiatives through the Chloride Watchers program. As a volunteer, you'll commit to monitoring chloride levels at a local waterway of your choice once a month from November through May. The data collected helps provide valuable insight into the impact of chlorides on aquatic life and the effectiveness of Salt Smart winter practices in reducing chloride pollution. To get started, volunteers must attend a training session to learn how to monitor chloride levels properly. Upcoming training sessions are scheduled for October 3, October 9, October 16, October 17, October 22, October 30, and November 7.  
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Sensible salting benefits the environment and contributes to more cost-effective and efficient winter maintenance practices. 

The summer season is a good time to reflect on the importance of and need for outdoor water conservation in the NWPA region. Outdoor water use, particularly in the summer months, can account for up to 30 percent of your household’s total water use. This presents a significant opportunity to reduce outdoor water use and protect the region’s water supplies.  
Outdoor watering can lead to higher water and energy costs, deplete vital water sources, and contribute to pollution by carrying lawn and landscape chemicals into nearby water bodies. Additionally, excessive outdoor water use can stress water utilities, especially during the summer when demand peaks. To meet increased demand, utilities often expand their infrastructure capacity, which can be costly.  

The NWPA, in collaboration with various partners, has developed several resources to help residents reduce outdoor water use. These include a regional lawn watering ordinance, an outdoor water conservation manual, and educational brochures on water-efficient landscape practices like establishing a new lawn from seed or sod. These materials provide practical tips and tools to reduce water use while maintaining attractive landscapes. Reducing the amount of water used for outdoor watering can also lower peak demand, potentially delaying or eliminating the need for costly expansions. This, in turn, helps avoid passing these costs on to ratepayers. 

For the first time, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced federal regulations on a class of synthetic chemicals known as “forever chemicals” in drinking water. PFAS, or per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, are chemicals that persist in the environment for long periods of time and pose significant health risks, including cancer and other serious illnesses. These chemicals are used in industry and consumer products such as nonstick cookware, waterproof clothing, and stain- resistant furniture.  

To mitigate the health risks associated with PFAS, the EPA established nationwide drinking water limits – also known as Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) for five individual PFAS chemicals: PFOA, PFOS, PFNA, PFHxS, and HFPO-DA (known as GenX Chemicals). The EPA also set a Hazard Index level for two or more of four PFAS as a mixture: PFNA, PFHxS, HFPO-DA, and PFBS. The rule aims to significantly reduce PFAS levels in drinking water across the United States, benefiting approximately 100 million Americans.  

Across the nation, communities with drinking water utilities will need to comply with these regulations within the next five years. Water utilities have three years to conduct sampling and monitor for specific PFAS compounds and levels to determine if further action is warranted. By 2027, communities will need to inform the public of any detected PFAS levels in their drinking water.  If levels exceed the established MCLs, water utilities have until 2029 to implement solutions to remove PFAS through treatment technologies, such as granular activated carbon, ion exchange or high-pressure membrane filtration, or find an alternative water source to reach concentrations below the MCL and hazard index levels. 

NWPA communities that rely on the Fox River and shallow sand and gravel aquifer systems for drinking water may be impacted by the new regulations. In 2020 and 2021, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) conducted statewide sampling to measure PFAS at entry points to public water supply and distribution systems. Broadly, the sampling effort detected PFAS at various entry points near the Fox River and shallow wells within the NWPA region. Although water utilities will still need to monitor PFAS over the next three years, the IEPA website provides a summary and interactive map of the 2020-2021 sampled PFAS measurements, giving communities and their water utilities a glimpse at how PFAS levels may affect them. The scale at which these new regulations may impact communities will ultimately depend on if and at what levels PFAS are detected, the types of PFAS detected (applicable treatment technology varies on the PFAS class), and the water utility’s ability to pursue the most effective solutions within five years.  

Financial support for PFAS issues is available through the EPA's Emerging Contaminants in Small or Disadvantaged Communities (EC-SDC) grants, a program established by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Additionally, the IEPA Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) program is providing financial assistance for PFAS-related projects. DWSRF programs function like infrastructure banks by providing low-interest loans and, in some cases, principal forgiveness loans, to eligible recipients for drinking water infrastructure projects. The DWSRF had $32.7M set aside for emerging contaminant principal forgiveness loans in FY24. FY25 and FY26 are currently projected to include up to $32.8M and 38.0M in principal forgiveness loans, respectively. It should be noted that caps likely will be established on the 100% principal forgiveness loans based on the number of applicant communities.  

Learn more about PFAS regulations and resources here.   

Mark your calendars for EPA's annual Fix a Leak Week, which takes place March 18 through 24, 2024. The commemorative week is a yearly reminder to inspect and fix leaks around the home to save valuable water and money. According to the EPA, indoor and outdoor household leaks can waste nearly one trillion gallons of water annually nationwide. Common leaks include worn toilet flaps, dripping faucets or appliances, as well as outdoor irrigation equipment. Checking and addressing these leaks can effectively conserve available water resources and save homeowners money on their water bills.  
Water loss within the home is common among communities with older homes and fixtures. Replacing older fixtures, such as showerheads, toilets, and faucets, with more water-efficient ones can be a cost-effective and reliable strategy for reducing leaks and overall indoor residential water use. According to the Alliance for Water Efficiency’s 2016 Residential End Use of Water Study, indoor household water use could drop by 35 percent or more if all devices in a household were high-efficiency devices, such as WaterSense-labeled products. To encourage homeowners to retrofit their fixtures, communities can offer incentives or rebates for residents who replace their devices with more water-efficient ones. An example of this approach can be seen through the City of Joliet’s water conservation incentive program and low-flow toilet rebate program.   

Outdoor irrigation systems can also be a potential source of outdoor water leaks. Fix a Leak Week is a great time to check in-ground irrigation systems and make sure that there is no damage from frost or freezing temperatures before using them in the spring. WaterSense-certified professionals can help detect and fix these leaks. To further improve outdoor water efficiency, households can install hardware like WaterSense-labeled irrigation controllers, which use local weather and soil conditions to adjust watering schedules.  
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These are just a few ways NWPA communities and individuals can start to address leaks and conserve water in their homes. For more helpful resources on addressing leaks and improving indoor and outdoor water efficiency, check out the EPA Fix a Leak Week website and resources from the NWPA.

​While northeastern Illinois borders Lake Michigan and many communities enjoy access to Great Lakes water, the majority of the NWPA region relies on groundwater and the Fox River for its drinking water. Managing water use, especially outdoor water use, is essential to ensure the long-term sustainability of the NWPA region’s water resources.
 
Watering your lawn can account for nearly 30 percent of a household’s total water use, which tends to increase in the summer months. Outdoor water conservation can play a key role in reducing water use and promoting a more sustainable approach to lawn and garden care.
 
To help communities reduce outdoor water use, the NWPA created a regional lawn watering ordinance that provides guidance on outdoor water conservation. Key elements of the ordinance include:

• Limit outdoor watering to early morning and evening hours (6:00-9:00 AM and PM) to avoid mid-day watering.
• Limit outdoor watering to even and odd calendar days, according to addresses ending in even and odd numbers.
• Prohibit the installation of new sod during the summer months.
• Prohibit the watering of sidewalks or impermeable surfaces to reduce water waste and runoff.
• Exempt outdoor watering restrictions if watering with greywater, recycled water, or less water-intensive irrigation systems, like handheld devices or drip irrigation, or WaterSense technologies. 
• Apply year-round water regulations as opposed to a seasonal summer restrictions window.
• Empower a mayor or manager to issue an emergency proclamation and further regulate or prohibit water use in the event of diminished water supply caused by a prolonged dry period or drought, increased water demand, equipment failure, or water quality concerns.

While many NWPA communities have adopted parts of the ordinance in some capacity, such as setting their own hours and day limitations for outdoor water use and implementing emergency procedures for drought situations, there is a need for more communities to fully adopt the model ordinance to ensure long term sustainability of our shared water resources.

The ordinance provides an opportunity to promote collective action that cuts back on nonessential water use. Taking steps to conserve water outdoors can help protect the region’s long-term water supply for future generations. 

Learn more about NWPA’s outdoor water conservation resources here.

Despite this year’s mild winter, NWPA members and partners made significant strides to salt sensibly and educate communities and the public about the effects of excessive road salt use on water resources. Kane County recently reported that the mild winter and smarter salting practices resulted in savings on salt, overtime pay, and fuel costs for the County’s Department of Transportation.  

Each winter, the Chicago region uses more than 270,000 tons of road salt to control ice on roads, parking lots, and sidewalks. Although ensuring transportation safety during the winter months is necessary, the excessive use of road salt is impairing our region’s water quality. Practicing sensible salting during the winter months, even during a mild winter season, is an important strategy for improving the quality of surface water and groundwater resources in the NWPA area. Once you put salt down, it does not go away or break down. Instead, it enters and accumulates in waterbodies over time, putting aquatic life at risk, impacting vegetation, and threatening water supplies. To protect our shared water resources, it’s important to practice sensible salting. There are several resources and initiatives that can help NWPA member communities salt sensibly. 

Last year, the NWPA, in partnership with the Salt Smart Collaborative, developed a Winter Maintenance Manual. The manual helps private contractors and owners of larger parking lots use best practices and reduce the impacts of salt use on water resources. Multiple NWPA county members have also developed their own sensible salting manuals, including the McHenry County Snow and Ice Control Handbook and the Lake County Winter Parking Lot and Sidewalk Maintenance Manual.

In addition to these resources, the “Salt Smart and You” exhibit has been traveling around the Schaumburg Township Library, Gail Borden Public Library, Aurora Public Library, and the Joliet Public Library over the last several months. The exhibit, created by the NWPA Sensible Salting Subcommittee and the Conservation Foundation, focused on educating the public on sensible salting and the impacts of excessive road salt use on our water resources.

Learn more about NWPA’s sensible salting efforts here and help protect the quality of our shared water resources. ​

With support from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) has partnered with the Northwest Water Planning Alliance and the Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant (IISG) to develop a water supply sustainability plan for the NWPA region. Later this year, the Illinois State Water Survey (ISWS) will release sustainable yield values for each water source by county. This data will, for the first time, identify the amount of water that can be withdrawn from each water source sustainably. The Water Supply Sustainability Plan will use the yield values to explore voluntary water conservation strategies that could help establish a path toward long-term sustainable use of water resources in the NWPA area. Additionally, the plan will serve as a model to encourage municipalities in other parts of the region and state to develop their own water sustainability plans.

CMAP and IISG will work with the NWPA Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) and Executive Committee (EC) throughout the plan’s development. Together, they will develop a water sustainability goal for the area that is informed by the ISWS sustainable yield estimates. The team will then evaluate the potential water savings of different conservation strategies and assess how effective their implementation could be toward meeting their sustainability goals.

Potential strategies could include active and passive water conservation actions, such as reducing water loss, metering with volumetric rates, reusing water, retrofitting plumbing, and upgrading appliances to water-efficient models. The expertise of NWPA members, as well as water conservation and demand management experts, will help guide the selection of feasible strategies and set appropriate implementation timelines. 
The involvement and expertise of municipal staff in the NWPA area will be critical to the plan’s success.  By attending the NWPA TAC meetings, municipal staff can help guide the development and evaluation of strategies and ensure the selected strategies can help the area achieve a long-term sustainable water supply. To maintain a sustainable water supply in the NWPA region (see map below), we need your help. Join an upcoming NWPA Technical Advisory Committee meeting to get involved in the planning process.