Water Shortage in Chicago Region Projected

By Camela Furry in News on Oct 13, 2009 2:20PM

Updated studies show that by 2015 some outlying suburbs could face a long-term water shortage according to Crain's. Water supplies are not going to dry up but projections by the University of Illinois Water Survey show that water supplies won't be able to keep up with population growth. As a result, pumping water from them will become cost-inefficient said Josh Ellis, a water policy expert at the Metropolitan Planning Council. He told Crain's:

Communities served by Lake Michigan face the same long-term problem. From drinking water to the reversal of the Chicago River, the Chicago region is now diverting 85% of the lake water that a Supreme Court decision allows; without conservation, that limit could be reached in 15 years.

Recommendations for planning and conservation will be discussed at a forum Tuesday morning hosted by the Metropolitan Planning Council and Openlands, a Northeastern Illinois environmental group.