White Paper Overview

Lake County, Illinois – Groundwater Supply

The existing and anticipated regional water demands and the groundwater supply limitations found in Lake County have sparked concerns regarding the long-term sustainability of groundwater as the source of municipal water supplies. Several aspects of concern include:

• Increased groundwater pumping in the future may exceed the capacity of the available aquifers.
• Increased human activity in the County adds to the potential for groundwater contamination.
• Potential loss of water supply to the County’s natural wetlands, fens, streams and lakes.

Communities in the northwest Lake County region began investigating alternative sources of water supply and came to the conclusion that conversion to Lake Michigan water would be the best means to assure their future water supply. The communities of Antioch, Fox Lake, Fox Lake Hills, Grandwood Park, Lake Villa, Lindenhurst, Volo and Wauconda have secured Lake Michigan water supply allocations from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. These communities are referred to as the North-West Lake County Water Planning Group.

These White Papers were prepared for the communities mentioned above.  The White Papers provide a brief outline of the water supply issues, evaluate the existing groundwater supplies and assist the communities in determining whether to move forward with their Lake Michigan water allocations or to remain on groundwater supplies.

Village of Antioch, IL Lake County, Illinois
Fox Lake Hills Subdivision Lake County, Illinois
Village of Fox Lake , IL Lake County, Illinois
Grandwood Park Subdivision Lake County, Illinois
Village of Lake Villa, IL Lake County, Illinois
Village of Lindenhurst, IL Lake County, Illinois
Village of Volo, IL Lake County, Illinois
Village of Wauconda, IL Lake County, Illinois

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