Illinois residents may scoff at the notion that their state, which borders one of the world’s largest freshwater lakes and has several massive underground aquifers, could run out of water. But according to the State Water Survey and a Jan. 9 announcement by Gov. Rod Blagojevich, communities across Illinois could face severe water shortages in the coming years if conservation efforts are not put in motion.

Allen Wehrmann, groundwater section head for the University-based water survey, said a string of devastating droughts and the rapidly growing population of the state have taken their toll on Illinois’s water supply, forcing the governor to call for a state-wide water supply and management strategy.

“Nobody is running out of water right now, but we want to stay in front of the game before it becomes an emergency,” Wehrmann said. “A lot of thought and planning is required before we can do anything and certain solutions may take years to establish.”

Based on recommendations from the Water Survey, conservation groups and the Illinois Integrated Water Quality Planning and Management Committee, Blagojevich released an executive order on Jan. 9 calling for the development of watershed plans, the identification of areas at high-risk for water shortage and a regional aquifer, which is an underground sand and gravel deposit that holds water.

Wehrmann, who has been working with Blagojevich on the state budget, said he is pleased with the governor’s announcement and it is essential that each region in Illinois establish a strategic plan to conserve water.

The Mahomet Aquifer is located beneath Champaign County and supplies water to about 15 counties in Illinois and Indiana. Wehrmann explained that all the communities affected by a water shortage need to work together.

“This cannot be handled individually by each township because it is really the same water,” Wehrmann said. “They need to communicate and cooperate to decide what the total resource is and how it can best be used to ensure that it doesn’t become a ‘water-grab.'”

Although the water supply in central Illinois is currently meeting public demand, Wehrmann said water levels, which had fallen during severe summer droughts did not improve in the fall and winter. This could result in very low crop yields.

Wehrmann estimated that in Champaign County alone, the average demand for water is 20 million gallons per day, increasing to 30 million gallons per day in the summer. According to Don Keefer, acting director of geologic mapping and hydrogeology for the Illinois State Geological Survey, townships in and around the city of Chicago use about 2 billion gallons of Lake Michigan water a day, drawing about 32,000 cubic feet per second.

Keefer explained that Lake Michigan water cannot meet the demand. In 1995, the Supreme Court ordered a water usage cap to be established on Chicago’s residents and industrial districts after Wisconsin, Michigan and a few Canadian provinces threatened to sue the state of Illinois for overusing lake water.

Wehrmann said that as many as 11 townships in and around Chicago may run out of water completely by 2020.

“The Chicago area is blessed with several bedrock aquifers, but soon they may need something more substantial,” Wehrmann said.

Beverly Herzog, assistant to the chief for environmental initiatives in the survey, explained that although surface waters usually need more complicated and expensive treatments than lake water, the quality of the water is fairly equal. She said surface waters in rivers and streams may be the city’s best alternative.

Wehrmann stressed the public’s need to recognize that water scarcity in one region will inevitably effect another. He explained that one possible solution to Chicago’s future water scarcity would be to run a 150-mile pipeline from the Mahomet Aquifer to the city of Chicago. He said although this is only one of many ideas, it would be a huge project that would be extremely expensive to all Illinois taxpayers.

“Who is to say what the economy might dictate?” Wehrmann said. “This is something that people downstate need to think about.”

Although other factors, such as drought, contribute to water scarcity, the public’s irresponsible use of water and the belief that it is an unlimited resource are the main reasons for water scarcity.

Shannon O’Laughlin, vice president of Students for Environmental Concerns, is not timid about encouraging others to conserve water. She recently posted fliers in the Allen Hall restrooms explaining how residents can save water while brushing their teeth.

“(The shortage) is a wake-up call that will hopefully encourage people to care more about their resources,” O’Laughlin, sophomore in ACES, said. “People’s daily behavior shows how little they care.”

O’Laughlin is not alone in her conservation efforts.

“I do not know that a lot of people are comfortable with the idea of water scarcity, but they cannot go into denial about this,” Keefer said. “It feels like our individual efforts are wasted, but if you raise awareness, you can deal with a serious problem.”