New Law Addresses Water Crisis, Allows Towns To Form Commission

LOCKPORT, IL — A new law signed Thursday will address a looming water crisis in the Joliet region and ensure a clean and reliable water source for the future, according to a release from State Sen. John Connor's office.

“Without reliable, clean water, our communities are crippled,” Connor, who championed the law, said in a release. “Finding a new water source before 2030 isn’t optional—we have to act now for ourselves, and in the interest of future generations.”

According to Connor's office, the underground Cambrian-Ordovician sandstone aquifer system is the primary source of water for Joliet, Romeoville, Shorewood, Lockport, Lemont, Channahon, Elwood and Minooka. An assessment by the city of Joliet revealed that the aquifer is being depleted at twice its natural recharge rate, and is expected to be fully depleted in 2030, according to a release.

Connor’s law, ran as Senate Bill 280, establishes the Regional Water Commissions Act, which would allow municipalities to form a regional commission to build, own and operate a water system, according to a release. This water commission will be able to build and operate a 31-mile pipeline to the city of Chicago water system, providing a connection to Lake Michigan water for the community.

The pipeline will bring clean and sustainable water to the region, as well as thousands of construction jobs, according to a news release. The law is effective immediately.

“Big problems call for bold, innovative solutions,” Connor said in a release. “This law will allow our community to proactively respond to, and ultimately prevent, an impending crisis.”