Groundwater Protection: Sustainability in the Face of Development

Cassandra McKinneyCassandra McKinney WaterCon2011WaterCon2011

EVAPORATIONEVAPORATIONTRANSPIRATIONTRANSPIRATION

CONDENSATIONCONDENSATIONPRECIPITATIONPRECIPITATION

RUNOFFRUNOFFINFILTRATIONINFILTRATION

GROUNDWATERGROUNDWATERSURFACE WATERSURFACE WATERWETLANDS/FENSWETLANDS/FENS


60% of your body

70% of your brain

80% of your blood

60% of your body

70% of your brain

80% of your blood


While you can survive almost a month without food…


You can’t survive one week without water!



http://www.ienearth.org/water.html

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Overuse Irrigation

Impervious Surfaces Urban Sprawl


2000-2009 World Water ConflictsDrought and

water inequities

spark killings in India (2009)

Water clashes kill 40 in Kenya and Ethiopia

(2006)

Mexican farmers shot in duel over

spring (2004)

Information from the Pacific Institute: http://www.worldwater.org/conflict/map/


Terrorists Target Water

Systems (2002)

Water Quality & Quantity Concerns

McHenry County is solely dependant on groundwater for all of its potable water needs

Adequate groundwater quantity and quality is essential to the present and future well being of McHenry County agriculturalists, residents and businesses.

The groundwater supply is: Limited Vulnerable to pollution Is being mismanaged


Year

Million

gallon

s p

er

day

34.651

67.5

120

160

180

LR

I P

roje

cte

d U

se

~ S

usta

inab

le Y

ield

MR

I P

roje

cte

d U

se

Max Comprehensive Plan

LRI – less resource intensive MRI – more resource intensive

Projected population growth of ~200,000 by

2030


Municipal Water Supplies

40 km

Water Supply: 100% Groundwater~60% Sand and Gravel


McHenry County Water Supply Projections


No No WaterWater

•Sound & Healthy Economy

•Healthy Environment

• Natural Areas Thrive

•High Quality of Life

•Sustainable & Safe Water Supply

Sprawl

Water Supply Planing

No Water Supply

Planning •Loss of Jobs, Retail & Industry

•Degraded Natural Areas & Loss of Open Space

•Loss of Agriculture

•Decreased Quality of Life

•Decreased Property Values

•Stagnation

What about Public Safety and Fire Protection?Smart Growth


Why is it that water takes up 70% of the earth’s surface and 60% of our bodies, yet so little of our thinking?

Imagine turning water problems into opportunities!

Create a Program to:

Protect and preserve the

quantity and quality

of groundwater for our generation and future generations, including the built

and natural environment

Cassandra McKinneyCassandra McKinney McHenry County Water Resources McHenry County Water Resources

Integrated Water Resources 7 Step Planning Process

Identify Problems and Opportunities

Create a Planning Team

Inventories and Forecasting

Formulating Alternative Plans

Evaluating Alternative Plans

Ranking Alternative Plans

Plan Implementation

Integrated Water Resource Planning (Palmer and Lundberg 2003)Cassandra McKinneyCassandra McKinney WaterCon2011WaterCon2011

Integrated Water Resources Planning

Encourages cooperative planning

Scientific Understanding

Reasonable / Attainable Goals

Planning “Team”:

government leaders & regional partners,

business and industry,

agriculture, nurseries, sod farms

special interest groups,

residents

Shared Vision = Common GoalsCassandra McKinneyCassandra McKinney WaterCon2011WaterCon2011

Manage supply and demand Plan for growth and drought Utilize water conservation programs Value the land and treat water in all

its forms as a resource! Stormwater, Groundwater, Surface

Water, Wetlands… they are all part of the water cycle and natural water balance.

Consider all your “development” options Open space, agriculture, pervious

pavement, raingardens, parks, conservation design developments, buffer strips, and more...

Increase access to recycling centers Educate, Educate, Educate!!!



Water Resources Action Plan:

Quality Pollution

Prevention Sensible Salting

Quantity Water

Conservation Conservation

DesignQuantity & Quality Groundwater

Recharge Protection of Water

Dependent Ecosystems

Wastewater Water Supply

Planning Drought

Preparedness Contingency

Planning

EducationEducation

1. Scientific Research 2. Symposiums, Workshops, and other

Educational Offerings 1. Municipal 2. Public

Adult Education Youth Education

3. Private Business Owners Agriculture, turf management, snow operators and

more…

3. Municipal and County-Board Buy-in Cassandra McKinneyCassandra McKinney WaterCon2011WaterCon2011

Geological Fieldwork

•ISGS Drilling (08-09)

•USACE (2008)

•Previous Drilling

•Geophysics


Geologic Core

Drilling


Drilling

Geophysics

Visualizationtopography

Visualizationroads

Visualizationsoils

VisualizationGeology/field

VisualizationAerial photos

Prairieview Education Center

Route 176

Behan Road

Visualizationsubsurface

McHenry CountyBedrock Surface

Key: Yellow units are aquifer units All Other colors are non-aquifer units – usually tills.

McHenry CountyLowermost Sand/Gravel Aquifer


McHenry CountyOldest glacial till non-aquifer


McHenry CountyMiddle Sand/Gravel Aquifer


McHenry CountyMajor non-aquifer confining unit in the County (Tiskilwa Till)

Key: Yellow units are aquifer units All other colors are non-aquifer units – usually tills.

McHenry CountyMinor non-aquifer confining unit (Yorkville till)


McHenry CountyMajor shallow aquifer unit


McHenry CountyMajor shallow mixed aquifer/non-aquifer unit


McHenry CountyModern shallow aquifer/non aquifer materials-youngest stuff


Example: Detailed 3D Hydrogeologic Mapping in Lake County, IL

Central Great Lakes Geologic Mapping Coalition Project, ISGSJason Thomason, Ardith Hansel, Mike Barnhardt, Barb Stiff, Steve Brown, Andy Stumpf

Note: yellows (sand and gravel; aquifers) greens and purples (clay rich units; aquitards)

Bedrock

Land Surface



DESCRIPTION: Latitude 42°28'44.84", Longitude 88°28'53.85" NAD83Mchenry County, Illinois, Hydrologic Unit 07120006 Well depth: 120.6 feet Hole depth: 234 feetLand surface altitude: 949feet above sea level NAVD88.Well completed in "Sand and gravel aquifers (glaciated regions)" (N100GLCIAL) national aquifer. Well completed in "Quaternary System" (110QRNR) local aquifer

Preliminary Water Quality Data - High Iron Countywide- Low Chlorides in 38 of 41 wells- Overall pretty good water quality - High nitrates in 2 wells- Arsenic of concern in 20% of wells - No VOC’s really of concern in any of

the observation wells


Illinois State Water Survey

Colored drawdown map for different degrees of drawdown

Sensitive Aquifer Recharge Areas Map


Public and Private Sector Environmental Impacts Storage Handling Application Rates Material Options Anti-icing De-icing


Winter Snow and Ice Operations – Training and

Certification

In partnership with: Local Law Enforcement Illinois Environmental

Protection Agency Open to all county

“residents” – Not open to physicians, nursing

homes, or pharmacies Free anonymous disposal of:

Most controlled and uncontrolled pharmaceuticals

Most over the counter remediesCassandra McKinneyCassandra McKinney WaterCon2011WaterCon2011

Medication Disposal Program

Partners in Paint Recycling Household Hazardous Waste

Disposal McHenry County Schools

Environmental Education Program 2nd & 8th Grade – Water Lessons

instructed by professional staff K-12 lessons available on

www.mchenryh2o.com In Development:

Turf Management Workshop


Ordinance Development Contingency Planning and Mutual

Aid Planning AssistanceAccess to and explanation of

Scientific Research Results Educational Brochures Training Programs by Request

Sampling of Additional Assistance Available to Local, Regional and State

Governments


Water Resources Action Plan

Model policies and

ordinances

Children’s Activities

Teacher Lesson Plans

Brochures

Groundwater Research

Newspaper Articles

www.mchenryh2o.comCassandra McKinneyCassandra McKinney WaterCon2011WaterCon2011

Best Practices alone are not enough.

When planning, utilize a holistic approach, consider existing plans, and

value the land and our water resources!

Be a part of the solution, every drop counts!

Questions?

“We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong,

we may begin to use it with love and respect.” Aldo Leopold, A Sand County AlmanacAldo Leopold, A Sand County Almanac

Cassandra McKinney Water Resources Manager - Division of Water Resources

McHenry County Government 2200 N. Seminary AvenueWoodstock, IL 60098-2637

Phone: (815) 334-4213, Fax: (815) 338-3991

[email protected] www.mchenryh2o.com

ABSTRACTOver the past two decades, McHenry County, Illinois has been one of the fastest growing counties in the State of Illinois. In addition, the County is solely dependent on groundwater for its drinking water resource, with no other options available. From 2000 to 2030, McHenry County’s population (current population 310,000) is expected to grow by 190,000. In the year 2000, water use in the county amounted to an annual average of 34.6 million gallons per day (mgd). By 2030, average annual water use is estimated to almost double to 67.5 mgd. With this tremendous growth, water shortages are forecasted as early as 2020 in portions of the county and groundwater degradation is already occurring.

In addition to groundwater being the only viable drinking water resource for McHenry County, groundwater protection is a challenge because the State of Illinois follows the doctrine of reasonable use. With the absence of statutory authority, counties are unable to enforce groundwater ordinances in areas other than the unincorporated. The impending water shortages and the lack of statutory authority prompted the creation of a Water Resource Manager position to utilize the cooperative planning process to coordinate the development of a multi-faceted, inter-governmental Water Resources Action Plan. People are more likely to support that which they create. Over the past two years, the cooperative planning process undertaken encouraged the involvement of government leaders, regional partners, special interest groups and citizens in the development of a county-wide groundwater protection program. This program uniquely seeks to address quantity and quality in one comprehensive program with the underlying goal “to provide a sustainable and safe water supply for current and future generations, including the built and natural environments.” The Water Resources Action Plan was completed in October 2009 and will assist in assuring our growing population an adequate, sustainable supply of safe water in the future.

Finally, the impending water shortages also prompted the county to spearhead further scientific research on the sustainability of the groundwater resource. Therefore, the County has undertaken multiple scientific research projects: Three-dimensional Geological Mapping, Hydrological Flow Modeling, and a Real-time Observation Well Network, to support the Water Resources Action Plan and assist stakeholders in making timely management decisions.

Groundwater Protection: Sustainability in the Face of Development

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