Executive Order 2006-1 called for a comprehensive program for state and regional water supply planning and management, a strategic plan for the program's implementation, and development of Regional Water Supply Plans in two Priority Water Quantity Planning Areas. Water 2050 is an outcome of that executive order as it was unanimously approved by the Regional Water Supply Planning Group (RWSPG) in January 2010 following three years of monthly meetings.

Northeastern Illinois Regional Water Supply/Demand Plan
The final version of Water 2050: Northeastern Illinois Water Supply/Demand Plan is now available for you to download.  CMAP has printed a limited quantity for implementers and stakeholders.  If you fall into either category, please contact us to request a printed copy.  Approved unanimously by the RWSPG for 11 counties of northeastern Illlinois, the plan is intended to ensure the availability of clean water for household,commercial, and other users through mid-century. It was commissioned by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources to address population and economic growth that could lead to  water shortages in the region. Read more in this press release and at the Water Supply page. See additional graphs from the plan, plus a collection of related news coverage. You can also now read and/or download a 12-page summary booklet of the Northeastern Illinois Regional Water Supply/Demand Plan.

CMAP would like to thank all the participants and delegates who were part of the three-year planning process.  Water 2050 seeks to ensure that relatively finite water supplies will keep pace with our population that could grow as much as 38 percent by 2050. The cornerstone of the plan is a water-use conservation and efficiency strategy that can reduce a significant percentage of new water demand if the political will and other factors exist to support plan implementation. For more information including agendas, meeting minutes, presentations, previous plan drafts and associated reports, visit the RWSPG Meeting Materials page.

Water 2050:  Past Events
On World Water Day, March 22, 2010, CMAP hosted Water 2050: A Regional Summit to convene regional partners in implementing the new plan.  We've posted a full summary of the event online, including useful links and presentations from the event.  Also throughout 2011, we hosted Water 2050 forums on water issues affecting the region. Read more at Water 2050 Forums.

Model Water Use Conservation Ordinance
CMAP developed an updated Model Water Use Conservation Ordinance to provide assistance to communities that wish to promote water conservation initiatives.  In drafting the model ordinance, staff completed extensive review of water conservation ordinances and regulations nationwide as well as relevant literature.  A panel of experts provided their input to the document during its formative stages.  The ordinance addresses indoors and landscape water use in both the residential and commercial/institutional/industrial sectors with consideration to the latest available technologies and state of the art practices in the field.  More than an ordinance, this document is a tool that contains commentary, potential water savings, current examples, and resources for further research.  By adopting the requirements of the proposed ordinance, communities may achieve significant water use reductions while deferring the need for water infrastructure expansion.  Recently CMAP partnered with U.S EPA Region 5 WaterSense to produce a presentation that highlights the sections of the ordinance, the role of WaterSense within the ordinance and how WaterSense can assist with ordinance implementation.

Water 2050 newsletter
Now that the plan has been completed, we are redesigining the former water supply planning e-Newsletter into a new communications and outreach mechanism.  The Water 2050 newsletter is designed to help implement water plan recommendations and recommit the region to water-use conservation and demand management, both of which are cornerstones of the water plan.  The newsletter will be issued every other month, beginning in early April, 2010.  This will be a means to communicate newsworthy items, share valuable resources, and promote ongoing and diverse efforts around water resources planning and management, both at CMAP and throughout the region.  View copies of the newsletters to the right.  Please email Justine Reisinger at jreisinger@cmap.illinois.gov to be added to the Water 2050 newsletter mailing list.

Regional Water Demand Report
The "Regional Water Demand Scenarios for Northeastern Illinois: 2005-2050, Project Completion Report" is available for download (1.2MB PDF).  Conducted by Southern Illinois University Carbondale on behalf of the ongoing regional water supply planning process orchestrated by CMAP and funded by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, the new study reveals important consequences of population growth for the region by the year 2050.  The study generated three water demand scenarios by major water user sectors and geographical subareas within the region. The scenarios represent water withdrawals under  a current trends or "baseline" scenario (CT scenario) as well as under a less resource intensive (LRI) scenario and a more resource intensive (MRI) scenario.   While the CT scenario assumes a continuation of recent trends for the variables modeled, resulting in a 36% overall increase in water withdrawals by 2050, the region's public water supply needs could grow up to 55 percent by 2050 under the MRI scenario.  The report served as an important input to the 11-county water supply planning process as well as the study of impacts conducted by the Illinois State Water Survey.

Residential Water Use in Northeastern Illinois Report
Following the Regional Water Demand Report, the "Residential Water Use in Northeastern Illinois: Estimating Water-Use Effects of In-Fill Growth Versus Exurban Expansion" takes a closer look at the region's residential water-use data and is also available for download (515 KB PDF).  The purpose of this report, conducted by Southern Illinois University Carbondale, is to determine the water-demand effects that would result from geographically differential patterns of population growth associated with different types of housing within the 11-county study area in Northeastern Illinois. This report supplements the attempted evaluation of the intra-regional shifts in population growth which were assumed in the Less Resource Intensive (LRI) and More Resource Intensive (MRI)scenarios of the previous study – Regional Water Demand Scenarios for Northeastern Illinois: 2005-2050 – but was unsuccessful due to the aggregated nature of the water-use data.     
    

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