URBANA, IL--A precedent-setting intergovernmental effort to assure long-term water supply planning and management for Wisconsin, Illinois, and Indiana is now underway.

The Northeastern Illinois Planning Commission (NIPC) hosted a meeting on April 29, convening water managers from the tri-state region to organize a regional water supply consortium. "This is an essential effort toward assuring a dependable and high-quality water supply in our greater region," says Ronald Thomas, NIPC executive director. "This meeting brought together people to talk about the formative strategies to identify and prioritize the larger issues related to water planning and management that need to be understood and addressed by governments and policymakers."

Attendees included Marcia Jimenez, Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Environment, and Derek Winstanley, Chief of the Illinois State Water Survey, as well as representatives of local, county, and state water management and planning agencies, and three regional planning commissions.

The consortium is a direct result of the landmark Wingspread Accord (signed in 2002), bringing together four regional planning agencies covering 17 counties, nearly 8,000 square miles and more than 1,500 government entities around Lake Michigan. The effort also implements recommendations contained in NIPC's Strategic Plan for Water Resources Management, adopted by the commission in September 2001.

Lead funding is being provided by the Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant College Program (www.iisgcp.org). "Water-supply planning and management are rapidly becoming front-burner issues," said Dick Warner, Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant director. "Sea Grant and its partners are pleased to help usher in these foresighted planning activities that will certainly prove to be strategic in coming decades."

Despite Lake Michigan's prominence as one of the world's largest fresh-water sources, it will not alone meet the needs of the entire tri-state regional population. In areas that are dependent on water supplies other than Lake Michigan, such as inland surface waters, experts say there is a potential for scarcity.

Discussion at the April meeting centered on water planning and management in the three states and the commonalities and the benefits of a consortium. "Now the work begins," says Sarah Nerenberg, director of NIPC's natural resources program. "We are starting by building a network of regional water supply planners and managers and interested parties. Some initial efforts will be on educating the public and regional, county, and municipal decision-makers and legislators on how water and land resources are linked." This group plans to meet three times to organize the collaborative process.

Irene Miles
Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant
376 NSRC
1101 W. Peabody Dr.
Urbana, Il 61801
Phone:  217-333-8055
Fax:  217-333-8046
miles@uiuc.edu