By Cynthia Zhao
September 29, 2003

On September 10 at the Urban Water Summit in Chicago, Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley and Joe Deal, Special Assistant to the Mayor presented Chicago's Water Agenda 2003, mapping out how Chicago will use water more wisely and increase protection for Lake Michigan and the Chicago River. The Agenda guides the city's water-related activities. It calls for multi-departmental coordination and an understanding that the water resources work as a complex and inter-connected system. The agenda defines a comprehensive approach to the city's water issues.

Four actions will be taken by the city to protect the Michigan Lake and the Chicago River. They are: water conservation, improving water quality, managing stormwater and educating the public and surrounding communities about lake stewardship.

Conservation: By repairing and upgrading water infrastructure, the city of Chicago has dramatically reduced use, despite population increases. The city has carried out several conservation projects which include installing custodian caps on fire hydrants, retrofitting drinking fountains, conducting water efficiency audits for large industrial water users; developing a comprehensive metering system aimed at promoting responsible water use.

Water Quality: Joe Deal pointed out three areas of focus to strengthen water quality: drinking water, recreational use and habitat water. Contrary to the traditional perception that the discharge from an industrial process is the main source of water pollution, many smaller and more numerous problems such as invasive species, stormwater, and air pollution have become new challenges to the city's clean water efforts.

Stormwater Management: Joe Deal stated that there are two key measures the city has taken to manage stormwater, one is building deep tunnels; the other is creating green infrastructure opportunities. He stated "The city encourages large new developments to incorporate green infrastructure into their design." Green infrastructure includes: Rooftop Gardens, Permeable Alleys and Parking Structures, Rain Gardens, Open Space and Wetlands, use of Cisterns and Rain Barrels. One successful example is the Ford Motor Company. It has incorporated green infrastructure into site designs at their Chicago facilities. Chicago also has developed a guide to stormwater "Best Practices" that have been implemented in the area.

Education: Recognizing that long term solutions to managing water resources will require public education, a program has been implemented to ensure that citizens understand the importance of the waterways, their role in protecting water resources, and changing their behavior to help improve stewardship. Several programs for families and schools have been developed with useful tools for educating people such as "Issues to Actions" brochures, municipal cable videos and internet tools.

Joe Deal stressed that they have worked closely with mass media, area schools, and have established partnership with groups like Urban Water Council of U.S. Conference of Mayors, the Lake Michigan Federation and Friends of the Chicago River to get their message out effectively.

Recently, the city of Chicago began inviting mayors from around the Great Lakes to "organize their efforts and concerns into a strategy for protecting and restoring the entire ecosystem as cities on the Great Lakes have common concerns related to the Lakes, such as controlling invasive species, deciding issues of water allocation and sharing the resource with far-away regions".

Deal reiterated that the key to the successful implementation of the 2003 Chicago Water Agenda is the coordination and partnership between public and private sector and each resident of Chicago.