McHenry Co., Army Corps checking water suppy

McHenry County officials have a pretty good idea that they're not sitting upon an endless supply of water.

But they aren't so sure about how much water remains and how they should best go about protecting it.

Answers to those questions could come later this year, however, after the county Tuesday approved a deal with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the installation of at least 20 monitoring wells to measure the status of water across the county.

The agreement, authorized unanimously Tuesday by the McHenry County Board, calls for the county and federal government to split the estimated $580,000 cost of installing the wells and then turns their maintenance and operation over to the county.

Officials say the wells will provide county leaders with information needed to make decisions about how best to use and preserve water resources, decisions that will affect development in the county for decades to come.

"We need to have the science in order to back up anything we do," County Board Chairman Ken Koehler said. "This is the beginning of collecting the data we need."

Previously, the county's best measure of its water status came in a 2005 study by the engineering firm Baxter and Woodman. According to the study, Algonquin and Grafton townships could be dealing with water shortages and disruptions by 2030, and the county as a whole could be using millions of more gallons per day than local aquifers can supply.

Cassandra McKinney, the county's water resource manager, said the wells will serve four primary functions: monitor daily, seasonal and yearly fluctuations in water supply; measure water quality; gather information on underground water flows; and evaluate the geology from surface to water source.

Although the last function does not involve water directly, it is at least as important as the other three, McKinney said.

"If we understand the geology we're sitting on, we'll understand the aquifer recharge and water infiltration rates," she said. "It will give us a better understanding of how much water is available."

Officials hope to begin installing the wells later this month, placing at least one in each of the county's 17 townships, and have them all in place by the end of September.