Village Continues To Contemplate Future Water Needs

The village board agreed Monday to authorize participation in a groundwater study that will help the village plan for its future potable water supply needs. 

Possibilities include continuing to utilize the well system that taps into the deep aquifer, or ultimately accessing water from Lake Michigan.

The cost of the study is $1,250 and will be conducted by Baxter and Woodman, Inc., an engineering firm contracted by the North and West Lake County Lake Michigan Water Planning Group.

“We are evaluating what the most cost effective plan is for the future water supply and we are looking at alternatives outside of the North and West Planning Group,” said Bob Vitas, village administrator.

The goal of the study is to obtain facts about the current groundwater supply in Lake Zurich, as well as seven other communities participating. 

Since Lake Zurich obtains potable water from the deep aquifer, the study will, specifically on the village's behalf, look at how groundwater flows down vertically to the aquifer and the rate at which it is recharged, said Trustee Rich Sustich.

“One of the critical issues is how long can the entire region can pull groundwater from shallow and deep aquifers and sustain itself for future potable water needs,” Sustich said.

The study will characterize the status of the groundwater in all of Lake County and how it feeds in to shallow and deep aquifers that a number of communities utilize for their drinking water supply.

“We will learn (from the study) what the change in the water table elevation is, and if we are pumping the water too fast for it to be recharged,” Sustich said.

The report, to be completed in August, is expected to answer that question, among others. 

The information obtained will help the village determine whether tapping in to Lake Michigan is the answer to ensure an ample future water supply, or if the deep aquifer has the staying power to provide potable water for Lake Zurich residents further down the road.

If the village were to decide to make the conversion from groundwater to Lake Michigan water, a number of steps would have to take place. 

They would include construction of infrastructure to support bringing the water into the village, in addition to treatment, storage and distribution facilities. 

The price tag has yet to be determined, but it would have to be funded by a bond referendum village officials have stated would likely come in the next year-and-a-half.

“These steps are being taken so the public can be educated prior to a November 2012 referendum,” Vitas said. “We need to present what the options are and the voters will decide.”

A public education component offered by the North and West planning group would cost the village, along with the other participating communities, an additional $11,875 each if they choose to take part in it.   

“We are waiting to see if that is a wise investment,” Sustich said.

“Where we sit today is that the information we get can help us decide what to do independently down the road for our own use; the choice on where we go has yet to be made,” Vitas said.  

“Lake Zurich has local options, and we are not 100 percent sold on the need for Lake Michigan water,” Sustich said.