### Joliet, Illinois, to Utilize Lake Michigan for Drinking Water During Groundwater Shortage
Joliet, Illinois, is confronting an imminent water crisis. By 2030, the underground aquifer that has historically provided potable water to the city is projected to become depleted. To address this issue, Joliet has opted to draw water from a substantial nearby resource: Lake Michigan. This choice signifies a major change in the city’s approach to satisfying its water demands, prompting discussions about water rights, environmental management, and the future of water availability in the area.
### Lake Michigan: An Essential Resource
Lake Michigan ranks as the second-largest of the Great Lakes, which collectively contain around 20% of the planet’s fresh surface water and serve as a drinking water source for nearly 10% of the U.S. population. Positioned approximately 30 miles southwest of the lake, Joliet views this expansive water supply as a critical resource as its groundwater levels decline.
Following extensive discussions, the Joliet city council made the decision to substitute its diminishing aquifer by sourcing water from Chicago, which utilizes Lake Michigan. Construction for the project is slated to commence in 2025, with the ambition of providing water to Joliet’s residents by 2030. The anticipated cost for this extensive initiative is roughly $1 billion, covering 65 miles of piping to facilitate the transfer of water from Chicago to Joliet and surrounding areas.
### The Great Lakes Compact: A Protection for Water Access
Not all communities have guaranteed access to Lake Michigan’s resources. The Great Lakes Compact, an agreement that was enacted in 2008, regulates the quantity of water that can be extracted from the Great Lakes. This compact encompasses eight U.S. states (New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota) along with two Canadian provinces (Ontario and Quebec). It ensures that only municipalities situated within the 295,200-square-mile Great Lakes basin are allowed to request water diversions, with certain exceptions.
Joliet qualifies as one of these exceptions due to a distinct legal arrangement that has been in place for over a century. Although the city’s position outside the Great Lakes basin ordinarily prevents it from accessing Lake Michigan, Illinois benefits from a special exemption permitting water diversion from the lake.
### The Chicago Exemption: A Historical Exception
The foundations of Illinois’ exemption from the Great Lakes Compact can be traced back to the late 19th century, when Chicago encountered a notable pollution crisis. Discharge from the city’s stockyards and sewage systems contaminated the Chicago River, which flowed into Lake Michigan, tainting the city’s main water supply. To remedy this, Chicago initiated a large-scale engineering endeavor to reverse the flow of the Chicago River, redirecting its wastewater away from Lake Michigan and toward the Mississippi River through the Des Plaines and Illinois Rivers.
This redirection necessitated a considerable diversion of Lake Michigan water to help mitigate the pollution, and the U.S. Supreme Court ultimately supported Illinois’ entitlement to extract billions of gallons of water from the lake on a daily basis. Currently, Chicago is authorized to divert up to 2.1 billion gallons of water from Lake Michigan each day, a right that has remained intact despite challenges from neighboring states like Wisconsin.
### Joliet’s Water Crisis: An Example of Unsustainable Groundwater Usage
Joliet’s dependence on its aquifer has reached an unsustainable level. The city’s groundwater is being depleted at a faster rate than it can be replenished, a situation worsened by climate change and heightened water needs. Consequently, Joliet has been compelled to explore alternative water sources, with Lake Michigan emerging as the most feasible option.
“Joliet now has not only arguably the worst groundwater situation in the Great Lakes region, but also compared to many other parts of the United States, and it’s desperate,” remarked Peter Annin, director of the Mary Griggs Burke Center for Freshwater Innovation at Northland College and author of *The Great Lakes Water Wars*. “It’s a classic case of unsustainable water use.”
Joliet’s choice to access Lake Michigan has sparked apprehension among other Great Lakes communities, especially since the city’s location is outside the basin. Nevertheless, Joliet’s leaders are committed to responsible water stewardship. “We are going above and beyond to demonstrate how much we respect the privilege we have to use Lake Michigan water,” stated Allison Swisher, director of public utilities in Joliet.
### Regional Concerns and Precedents
Joliet is not the first municipality outside the Great Lakes basin to pursue access to Lake Michigan water. In 1987, Lowell, Indiana, sought a diversion due to elevated fluoride levels in its local water, but the request was denied by the governor of Michigan. More recently, in 2016, Waukesha, Wisconsin, successfully sought Lake Michigan water after discovering radium contamination in its groundwater. Waukes
