Think that the Kishwaukee Valley Water Authority is our last best chance to protect our local water supply? Wrong-o. In July 2006, the Illinois General Assembly changed Public Act 094-1007. Here is a snippet of the Act, straight from the General Assembly website and including the changes that took effect in January:
Section 5. The Intergovernmental Cooperation Act is amended by changing Section 3.1 as follows:
(5 ILCS 220/3.1) (from Ch. 127, par. 743.1)
Sec. 3.1. Municipal Joint Action Water Agency.
(a) Any municipality or municipalities of this State, any county or counties of this State, any township in a county with a population under 700,000 of this State, any public water district or districts of this State, State university, or any combination thereof may, by intergovernmental agreement, establish a Municipal Joint Action Water Agency to provide adequate supplies of water on an economical and efficient basis for member municipalities, public water districts and other incorporated and unincorporated areas within such counties.For purposes of this Act, the water supply may only be derived from Lake Michigan, the Mississippi River, the Missouri River, or the Sangamon River Valley Alluvium.Any such Agency shall itself be a municipal corporation, public body politic and corporate. A Municipal Joint Action Water Agency so created shall not itself have taxing power except as hereinafter provided.
The language that limited application of the Act to users of Lake Michigan and certain rivers has been struck. Furthermore, an MJAWA obtains financing only through revenue bonds or notes unless voters pass a referendum to allow for the issuance of general obligation bonds.
Let’s see:
For a discussion of water supply management alternatives, please go here.
I will update with links to joint action water agency websites as I find them.
Thanks to Kay Shelton for the tip.