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***MEETING NOTICE***
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Tuesday, January 27, 2008
9:30 a.m.
CMAP Offices
233 S. Wacker, 8th Floor
Sears Tower, Chicago, IL
For visitor access to the Sears Tower,
call (312) 454-0400.
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Regular meetings are held on the fourth Tuesday of the month at CMAP offices. The public is welcome and encouraged to attend.
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December Meeting Recap
The last meeting of the RWSPG was productive and covered various topics regarding groundwater planning, next planning cycle, and state and federal funding. Al Wehrmann, Illinois State Water Survey presented modeling results regarding the relationships between the aquifer systems and the regional demand scenarios. A copy of the presentation is available here.
Gary Clark, Director, Office of Water Resources, Illinois Department Natural Resources presented a draft proposal for future funding levels for regional water supply planning. He identified five core program tasks for funding including the Illinois Water Inventory Program, CMAP and MAC Plan Continuation, Regional Model Maintenance and Application, Kankakee River Model for NE Illinois, and Downstate Basin as the next planning region. Total funding request is $1.5 million. Discussion also focused on funding sources outside the state, such as federal funding, municipal or county contributions, and foundation funding.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS! The RWSPG will continue to meet regularly on the fourth Tuesday of the month with most meetings being held at the CMAP offices located on the 8th floor of the Sears Tower in downtown Chicago. Below are the 2009 dates, times and locations for the RWSPG meetings.
January 27
9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
CMAP Offices
February 24
10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
City of Chicago
Jardine Water Filtration Plant
March 24
9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
CMAP Offices
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April 28
9:30 a.m.- 12:30 p.m.
CMAP Offices
May 26
9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
CMAP Offices
June 23
9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
CMAP Offices
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RWSPG Elections. Elections for Chair and Vice-Chair will be held at the January 27, 2009 meeting. Nominations from the committee were requested. Both current Chairwoman, Bonnie Thomson Carter, and current Vice-Chairman, Robert Martin, have both expressed interest in retaining their positions.
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CMAP Principles for Infrastructure Investment – CMAP has issued a set of principles (opens 195KB PDF) for how funds should be spent on infrastructure in metropolitan regions through the anticipated $700 billion federal economic recovery package. The CMAP statement emphasizes transparency and accountability in the selection of projects for improvement of roads, transit, freight rail, water treatment, and other systems.
Economic Stimulus – The Alliance for Water Efficiency has written a position paper, Transforming Water: Water Efficiency as a Stimulus and Long-Term Investment, asks that when considering water infrastructure-related stimulus investments it is important to avoid thinking to narrowly in terms of reconstructing existing infrastructure.
A National Drinking Agenda for Drinking Water – American Water Works Association (AWWA), Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies (AMWA), National Association of Water Companies and National Rural Water Association (NRWA) prepared a paper proposing a national strategy for drinking water. Read more.
CMAP Wastewater Strategy Planning Report. CMAP is researching various planning strategies during the development of the GO TO 2040 regional comprehensive plan. Most recently, staff has prepared a draft paper on wastewater planning. Read more.
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FREE EVENT. Yours, Mine, Ours, or Theirs? Accessing and Controlling Oil and Water– A part of the year-long statewide series of free public programs that will examine the key issues related to oil and water. This program will explore ownership and stewardship of oil and water globally and locally through the story of Venezuela's oil industry and through the documentary The Water Front, which examines water privatization as experienced by the African-American community of Highland Park, Michigan. RSVP events@prairie.org, or visit http://www.prairie.org for more information.
American Planning Association (APA)– Designing for Water Conservation Protect diminishing water resources at the site and neighborhood levels with proactive planning. Find out how to use local hydrology and knowledge of groundwater resources to protect the environment and private investment. Incorporate appropriate landscaping regulations to control runoff, minimize water usage, and maximize the effectiveness of water that is used. Cosponsor: American Society of Landscape Architects. Click here for more information.
American Water Works Association (AWWA) – Several conferences are scheduled in 2009 regarding water resources and water conservation. Click here for more information.
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About State and Regional Water Supply Planning in Illinois
In January 2006, Governor Blagojevich issued Executive Order 2006-1 that calls for a comprehensive program for state and regional water supply planning and management. The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) has been commissioned by the State of Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) to facilitate such a process for an 11-county planning area of northeastern Illinois. 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 Regional Water Supply Planning Group (RWSPG) for northeastern Illinois will focus on the 11-county area's deep bedrock aquifer and the Fox River Basin's shallow bedrock aquifer.
Questions or comments? E-mail Tim Loftus of CMAP at tloftus@cmap.illinois.gov or call (312) 386-8666.
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