Kishwaukee Valley Water Authority vote

I just received a packet in the mail from the Alliance for Land Agriculture & Water, the group that has spearheaded the creation of the water authority.

To be clear, The Land Conservancy of McHenry County has not taken an official position on the water authority - there are several positions represented on our board of directors.

Personally, I lean towards supporting the authority, and did in fact make a small donation to help them buy signs, but I live in the municipality of Harvard, which is excluded from the boundaries, so I cannot vote on the issue.

Back to the packet of information I just received. Included in the materials about the authority was an article by David Brandt, the NRCS Resource Conservationist for McHenry County. Dave wrote a very nice article supporting the authority - not in his official (guv'mint) capacity, but as a 25+ year resident of McHenry County.

I'd like to quote a few facts from Dave's article, just to give anyone who is undecided something to think about:

"...every bit of water we use in McHenry County comes from the ground."

"McHenry County's population will almost double by 2030 to about 500,000 people."

"Some municipalities have projected growth of up to 1280% of [their] 2000 [population]. Yes, that's correct, 1280%!"

"In 2000, the folks in Algonquin Township were using groundwater at a rate faster than the aquifer can supply it."

"I have heard that the protesters of the Water Authority say conservation is a good idea but the water authority is a bad one. Come on, who's conserving water? ... Developers and Mayors say [the water authority] is going to stop growth and that nobody can tell them what to do in their town or 1 1/2 miles out of it.... Maybe that is the problem. They have 100% of the power and nobody better get in their way. Currently, I cannot think of a single municipality with an ordinance addressing groundwater use or protection. Who's looking out for my drinking water supply? Nobody. Who's looking out for the rural folks' drinking water supply? Nobody. Who's looking out for the urban water users' water supply? Nobody. Who's looking out for the farmer who has a new subdivision sucking up groundwater right next to their well? Nobody."

Connect the dots. The water authority will have one job: to protect the water resources in the authority from overuse. The taxes will be minimal (for a $250,000 home, about $15 a year). As one friend of mine said "It's cheap insurance. If our water is overused, all our property values will fall, and we sure aren't gonna get Lake Michigan water."

For more information, call 1-866-649-9049 or email a-law@onebox.com .