Kane: Water shortage by 2050?

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Updated: July 8, 2011 2:12PM

GENEVA — At the current water usage rate, and with projected population growth in Kane County, the region could be facing water shortage issues by the year 2050.

Paul Schuch, director of the county’s Water Resources Division, told county officials this week that Kane is the third-fastest growing county in the northern Illinois region, and could have as many as 800,000 people by the year 2030. If the county does not look at alternative water resources and implement stronger conservation measures, there could be significant shortages in the region, he said.

Kane is still a little too far west to make hooking into Lake Michigan water practical.

“Despite having one of the best freshwater sources nearby, we still can’t use it,” he said.

Pulling water from Lake Michigan was the solution for nearby DuPage County, when they were faced with some similar issues in the 1980s. Federal and international laws, as well as a significant expense, prevent Kane County from being able to do the same.

The current infrastructure is not built to be able to handle the increased volume that would result in pumping added water through DuPage County into Kane, he said.

The county relies on water from the Fox River, as well as deep and shallow aquifers in the region. The deep water aquifers hold more water, but take thousands of years to completely regenerate, because of the depth underground at which the water is located.

Total water withdrawals in the county have increased from 25 million gallons a day in 1964 to 61 million gallons per day in 2003, according to a water report on the region shared with the County Board Committee of the Whole.

Municipalities in Kane County will need to find alternative sources, Schuch said.

“Some regions may be better on the Fox River, and some may be better on shallow water aquifers,” he said.

Schuch estimated that about 80 to 85 percent of the county water usage is residential, and that the remaining 15 to 20 percent is commercial.