News:

Future 2012 mtgs: May 18 (agenda)

RWSPC Stakeholders Mtg, March 29 in Urbana IL-- View the meeting presentations

In the news-- Drop in the bucket March 9 story from The Pantagraph

RWSPC welcomes Ansel Anderson as the Committee Member representing Environment stakeholders

Water issues discussed on local media:
Sun, Feb 12, 3-4:30 PM> Liquid Assets: The Story of Our Water Infrastructure will air on WILL-TV,
Mon Feb 13 listen for special feature on WILL (580 AM) Morning Edition and All Things Considered
Tues Feb 14, 11 AM: stormwater issues will be discussed on Focus 580
Thurs Feb 16, 11AM: Water Planning and Management for Illinois and East Central Illinois, V. Knapp & G. Roadcap, Illinois State Water Survey, University of Illinois
Fri Feb 17, 11AM: Hybrid Nature: Sewage Treatment and the Contradictions of the Industrial Ecosystem, Dan Schneider, Professor, Department of Urban and regional Planning, Ecologist, Illinois Natural History Survey, University of Illinois

ISWS releases report-- Meeting East-Central Illinois Water Needs to 2050: Potential Impacts on the Mahomet Aquifer and Surface Reservoirs by George Roadcap, Vern Knapp, Al Wehrmann, Dave Larson

Water conservation ideas? Check out these links: USEPA Water Sense & California Waterwise

MAC to fill vacancy-- a representitive is needed for Electric Generating Utilities

RWSPC accepts committee charge (new RWSPC charge, 14 KB)

Illinois releases its Drought Preparedness and Response Plan (released Oct 12, 2011)

View Economic Recovery Commission's Report to Gov Quinn. Water resources planning is featured on p. 10 & 69-70.

View Springfield's Water Story: Planning for the Future. This video views well with the Windows Media Player and runs approx. 42 minutes.


About the East Central Illinois RWSPC

Mission statement | Objectives | Overview | Additional info | Contact us

Want to participate?

Join one of RWSPC's 12 interest groups-- Agriculture, Small Business, Public, Water Authorities, Water Utilites, Municipal, Environmental, County, Rural Water Districts, Industry, Electric Generating Utilites, and Soil and Water Conservation Districts. You can provide input to the RWSPC Committee Members.

How do you join?

  • Contact Robbie Berg at 217/493-7407 or by email (earthpartners@hotmail.com) and provide your email address, your interest group, & your contact info or
  • Join the RWSPC listserv-- send an email to listsrv@list.rwspc.org, include this phrase in the message-- subscribe RWSPC_all, your interest group & your contact info.

Mission Statement

To serve as the planning committee to consider the current and future issues of water supply and demand, and to develop plans that will be recommended to appropriate local, county and state units of government and others for implementation and action.

Objectives

The primary objectives and activites of the RWSPC are to:

  • Utilize water-resource research findings by the state agencies (i.e., Illinois State Water Survey, Illinois State Geological Survey)
  • Develop water demand scenarios to year 2050
  • Evaluate water supply and demand management options as potential implementation of such options might benefit the citizens of east central Illinois
  • Create a regional water-supply plan that reflects a newly developed understanding of water availability given research findings on supplies and demand scenarios and plans for growth, development and land-use change
  • Propose and support outreach and public education activites.
RWSPC met these objectives and developed an initial water-supply plan in June 2009. Click here to read its Reports. RWSPC recognized this plan to be an initial effort and recommended that the Plan be revised on a 5 year cycle.

Overview

While Illinois has significant sources of both groundwater and surface water, the growing state population and increasing demand for water is expected to strain current resources.

In January 2006, Governor Rod Blagojevich signed Executive Order 2006-01 to develop a comprehensive, statewide water supply planning and management strategy. The Executive Order assigns the Illinois Department of Natural Resources Office of Water Resources (IDNR-OWR) to oversee the process in coordination with the State Water Survey (SWS). To begin the effort, the State selected two areas most at risk for water shortages and conflicts: the Northeastern Illinois Deep Aquifer and the Mahomet aquifer, spanning central and east-central counties of Vermilion, Iroquois, Ford, Champaign, McLean, Macon DeWitt, Piatt, Woodford, Tazewell, Mason, Logan, Menard, Cass and Sangamon.

To implement the requirements of Executive Order 2006-001, the Mahomet Aquifer Consortium (MAC) started a three year regional water supply planning process with a funding grant from IDNR-OWR. The first task was to convene the East Central Illinois Regional Water Supply Planning Committee (RWSPC). This local planning commitee will help collect the data needed to draft the regional water supply plan, and also outline and approve their regional plans.

The East Central Illinois RWSPC includes twelve members, one each from the following interest areas: Agriculture, Small Business, Public, water Authorities, Water Utilites, Municipal Environmental, County, Rural Water Districts, Industry, Electric Generating Utilites, and Soil and Water Conservation Districts. The members are also geographically balanced by region as follows: West region (Cass, Logan Mason, Menard, Sangamon and Tazewell counties); Central region (DeWitt, Macon, McLean, Piatt and Woodford counties); and East region (Champaign, Ford, Iroquois, and Vermilion counties).

Additional Information