FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Barrington Hills, IL – August 6. Barrington area residents are reliant on groundwater from the shallow sand and gravel aquifer system for their water supply. The greater Barrington area is unusual in that most households are served by domestic wells, whereas centralized municipal water supplies serve the majority of residents in surrounding communities. Understanding groundwater conditions is vital for long-term planning of Barrington area water supplies for both domestic and municipal use.
Reports from the Illinois State Water Survey (ISWS) have indicated that groundwater supply and quality may be adversely impacted in the future. In 2014, Barrington Area Council of Governments (BACOG) developed a comprehensive groundwater monitoring program to study and track groundwater conditions in the area.
In 2015, BACOG issued a baseline groundwater water level and conditions report prepared by KOT Environmental Consulting Inc.. After five years of data collection, BACOG contracted with ISWS to analyze the changes in our area’s groundwater between 2014 to 2019. Observations included a short-term slight upward trend in groundwater levels, increasing baseflow in Poplar Creek and the Fox River, and lower withdrawals from municipal wells during the 5-year period.
The current and possible future impacts on recharge due to increasing precipitation, storm intensity/duration, and stormwater runoff are explained. The report called for the continuation of the groundwater level monitoring program and a forward-looking focus on groundwater quality, especially chloride.
The ISWS report is available here and a presentation of the BACOG 5-year Groundwater Levels Report with the report’s principle author, Daniel Hadley from the Illinois State Water Survey, is available here through the BACOG website.
For more information about BACOG, contact Executive Director Janet Agnoletti at 847-381-7871 or visit www.bacog.org, BACOG’s page on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.
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The Barrington Area Council of Governments (BACOG) is a voluntary organization of elected officials representing the Villages of Barrington, Barrington Hills, Deer Park, Lake Barrington, South Barrington and Tower Lakes and Barrington Township. BACOG facilitates cooperative regional strategies on groundwater research and environmental conservation, legislative advocacy, as well as member communications and training for communities in the greater Barrington area.
