By Judy Sheahan
October 8, 2007

Providing water supplies and protecting the watershed were topics discussed at the Mayors Water Council Meeting in San Francisco by Mayors Jennifer Hosterman of Pleasanton (CA), Keith Hunt of Hawthorne Woods (IL), Larry Nelson of Waukesha (WI), and Susan Hutson with the U.S. Geological Survey.

Pleasanton is located 40 miles from San Francisco with a population around 70,000. However, it abuts four other cities that total over 250,000. Their water supply comes from both an underground aquifer and a delta. Hosterman outlined how the communities have been dealing with decaying infrastructure including breaking pipelines, increasing water hook up rates, takings, endangered species, and water supply issues.

Hosterman stated, “We are ok with water storage and supply through the summer of ’08; but with a drought or climate change, who knows?” She also discussed work she has done as part of the Local Government Commission that created the “Ahwahnee Water Principles” – a blueprint for sustainable land-use practices that can improve the reliability and quality of water resources. If followed, they can minimize the risk and impacts of stormwater runoff, ground and surface water contamination, and flooding.

Hawthorne Woods, a suburb of Chicago with 6,000 residents, had a well and septic system until 2003. However, with growth at 10-15 percent per year, they were looking to make the community more economically sustainable. Hunt explained how the city utilized a public-private partnership with Aqua Illinois and Toll Brothers (homebuilders) to dig two deep wells and provide a water treatment plant at no cost to the taxpayers. They now have a 1.8 million gallon per day capacity with future capacity of 3.5 million gallons per day, which allows for community growth. They are also working to promote conservation by creating a multi-tiered rate structure.

According to Nelson, Waukesha needs a new water supply. After years of overpumping in southeastern Wisconsin by many communities, there is a water quantity and quality problems. Waukesha is considering two options for a new water supply – going east to Lake Michigan or going west and withdrawing groundwater and discharging it to rivers that lead to the Mississippi River. To complicate matters even further is the fact that Waukesha is outside the Lake Michigan surface water divide; therefore, utilizing Lake Michigan water raises legal and political questions under the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA). Due to these and other constitutional concerns, the Great Lakes Governors have agreed on a Great Lakes Compact to replace WRDA. That agreement must be ratified by the Legislatures of all eight Great Lake states and by Congress to become law. Nelson is looking for the Conference of Mayors’ support for the Great Lakes Compact.

Hutson outlined how people today are using less water per capita than in the 70s. In fact, water consumption per person is similar to what was used in 1955. However, since the population has doubled, the total withdrawal of water has tripled. Other experts warned that with climate change impacts – severe storms, drought, and rising sea levels - water supply issues could become a problem for more and more communities in the future. A Conference of Mayors’ Water Council Survey determined that 35 percent of city respondents did not know where there drinking water supplies would come from in 20 years.

For more information about water issues, visit the website usmayors.org/urbanwater.