Champaign County Farm Bureau

Aquifer research advances with formation of study committee

The Mahomet Aquifer lies beneath 15 counties in central Illinois and supplies water to hundreds of thousands of people for personal and industrial consumption. Despite its importance, relatively little is known about the aquifer such as how it recharges or its current capacity.
To address these research needs, the Mahomet Aquifer Consortium (MAC) was formed in 1998 as an effort to study and develop a management plan for the Mahomet Aquifer. MAC members include representatives from water authorities, water companies, government agencies, well drillers, irrigators, the general public as well as the Illinois Farm Bureau.
In January 2006, Governor Rod Blagojevich issued Executive Order 2006-1 calling for the formation of state and regional water supply plans. As part of the fulfillment of that order, the MAC is facilitating the selection of the Committee on Regional Water Supply Planning for East Central Illinois. Committee members will look at current and future water supplies and evaluate options for the management of both surface water and groundwater supplies. The first major task of the committee, with the assistance of a consultant, will be to develop water demand scenarios for East Central Illinois to the year 2050.
To form this planning committee, the MAC accepted applications from 68 interested individuals from across the region. The selection process, which will be finalized by the MAC Board of Directors, is now underway for the 12-member committee that will represent the following interests: agriculture, small business, public, water authorities, water utilities, municipalities, counties, environment, rural water districts, industries, soil and water conservation and electric generating utilities. The selection process will also attempt to form a geographically balanced committee by evenly appointing members from each of the three regions within the 15-county area included in the MAC. The regions are divided into West: Mason, Tazewell, Logan, Menard, Cass and Sangamon; Central: McLean, Macon, Dewitt, Piatt and Woodford; and East: Champaign, Ford, Iroquois and Vermilion. The committee is appointed to a three-year term.
Once appointed, the planning committee will work with the Illinois State Water and Geological surveys and Illinois Department of Natural Resources Office of Water Resources to obtain information on the available water supply. They will also have resources from the MAC. Funding for this project is being provided by a grant from the Illinois Department of Revenue through the Executive Order.