Oswego, Yorkville and Montgomery residents will have an opportunity to weigh in on studies underway concerning the future of the water supply in their towns.
The three municipalities will host a regional meeting from 5 to 7 p.m. Sept. 15 at Grande Reserve Elementary School at 3142 Grande Trail in Yorkville. Residents will be able to speak to engineers, review exhibits and ask questions about potential water sources for the towns.
Staff and elected officials from all three communities will be represented at the meeting to interact with residents as well, according to officials.
The region’s existing water source, a deep groundwater aquifer, will be at severe risk of depletion and no longer able to meet the area’s maximum daily water demand sometime between 2030 and 2050, according to a report from the Illinois State Water Survey.
The Oswego Village Board as a committee of the whole has begun to hold a series of discussions to evaluate alternative water supply sources. The process in Oswego is anticipated to take several months with a decision possible by the end of the year on a future plan for the village’s drinking water, according to officials there.
Possible solutions to the problem including bringing in Lake Michigan water with a connection to the DuPage Water Commission line, like many towns in the Chicago area do, or using Fox River water and going together with other towns in the region on a treatment plant.
The city of Joliet approached the village in 2020 with the option to get Lake Michigan water through a new pipeline that is currently under design. Joliet is requiring a commitment from communities by January to be part of its program.
Yorkville staff has begun to do a preliminary cost analysis on the Joliet water project, Fox River joint water treatment plants and DuPage County Water Commission options.
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Montgomery officials are also studying where the village should get its drinking water in the future and are aware how crucial the issue is for the community.
“This is probably the single most important decision you will ever make,” Montgomery Village President Matt Brolley told trustees during a discussion of the issue earlier this summer.
Oswego trustees recently revised the village’s conservation measures as part of an analysis to select a future water supply.
Conservation measures are a prerequisite for obtaining a permit to withdraw Lake Michigan water, according to officials.
The other side is that water conservation practices will help to reduce future infrastructure costs, village officials said.
Linda Girardi is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.