TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: James V. Capparelli, City Manager
SUBJECT:
title
Ordinance Approving a Water Supply Agreement with the City of Chicago and Agreements for Easements and Rights of Access with the City of Chicago and the Chicago Park District for the Placement of the Chicago Connection Facilities at the Southwest Pumping Station and Durkin Park Sites and Payments and Other Actions for the Implementation of the Agreements
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BACKGROUND:
The City of Joliet's existing water source, the deep groundwater aquifer, will be depleted to the point of not being able to meet the City's maximum day water demands by the year 2030. This is a regional problem. Groundwater modeling conducted by the Illinois State Water Survey indicates that the deep groundwater wells in Joliet and neighboring communities will someday be depleted to the point of no longer being able to supply the region's future water needs. Knowing this, the City of Joliet conducted an Alternative Water Source Study to determine alternative water sources which could be used by not only the City of Joliet, but possibly the region as a long-term, sustainable, reliable water source.
The Alternative Water Source Study began in July of 2018 and was completed in two phases. Fourteen alternatives were evaluated in the Phase I Study. These fourteen alternatives covered the full range of possible water sources including groundwater, rivers and Lake Michigan. The Phase I Study was completed in January 2019 and recommended five alternatives for further evaluation as feasible alternative water sources. The Phase II Study took a more in depth look at the five alternatives in order to determine the improvements that would be required to implement each alternative. The Phase II alternatives included Illinois River, Kankakee River, Lake Michigan Water - Chicago Department of Water Management, Lake Michigan Water - DuPage Water Commission and Lake Michigan Water - New Indiana Intake. The Phase II S...
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