CMAP, in partnership with MPC, convened a series of Water 2050 Regional Forum discussions in 2015. The Forum convened on January 15 and April 16; meeting materials are included below. 

In mid-march, IDNR requested that CMAP suspend all activities related to our two-year grant, received in march 2014, to support Water 2050 implementation actions. The reason given by IDNR was "insufficient appropriation of funds." 

To receive email notification of future meetings, contact Tim Loftus (tloftus@cmap.illinois.gov).

In 2010, CMAP released Water 2050: Northeastern Illinois Regional Water Supply/Demand Plan, the outcome of an executive order and over three years of research and public engagement. Water 2050's emphasis on demand management is echoed in GO TO 2040, the region's comprehensive plan.

Since the adoption of GO TO 2040 and Water 2050, the region has entered a new era of public discourse and policy debate on water use, informed by a keener understanding of water and the region's resource challenges and constraints. CMAP, the Metropolitan Planning Council, and others have worked to implement recommendations and strategies aimed at improved stewardship of our finite water resources. Nonetheless, we must remain vigilant about water use to avoid imbalances between demand and supply and to maintain public trust in the infrastructure that is essential for water delivery.

There is a clear and ongoing need for public discussion of regional water supply planning and management. Consistent with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) Action Plan for a Statewide Water Supply Planning and Management Program, CMAP will convene and co-facilitate the Water 2050 Regional Forum. The purposes of the Forum are to 

1. Discuss regional water supply planning and management issues. 
2. Provide input and guidance to IDNR or other agencies on water related issues.
3. Discuss Water 2050 implementation and its eventual update.*

Quarterly public meetings of the Water 2050 Regional Forum will be announced in the CMAP Weekly Update email message released on Fridays. To receive email notifications of upcoming meetings, interested parties can also provide contact information to Tim Loftus at tloftus@cmap.illinois.gov.

*An update to Water 2050 is estimated to occur in the 2017-2018 timeframe.

April 2015

• Agenda
• Meeting Notes
• Presentations
  • Illinois Environmental Protection Agency's Water Supply Initiatives and Priorities
  • Northeastern Illinois's Current and Future Groundwater Situation 
  • Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning Update on Water 2050 Regional Forums

January 2015

• Agenda
• Meeting Notes
• Illinois Department of Natural Resources Action Plan
• Presentations
  • 2.0 Background and Motivation for Water Forum
  • 3.0 IDNR Action Plan for a Statewide Water Supply Planning and Management Program
  • 4.0 ISWS Update on Synoptic Measurement of Sandstone Aquifers
  • 5.1 IDNR Amendments to Rules Governing L.Michigan Allocations/Permittees