Lombard gets high marks for water conservation

Not much water goes to waste in Lombard.

The village scored the highest in terms of water conservation in a recent survey of 24 of the 28 DuPage Water Commission communities. The survey judged communities based on 13 conservation-related goals set by the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning.

Lombard's water meter replacement program, water main inspections and rain barrel grant funding played a key role in making the village tops among participating communities, Public Works Director Carl Goldsmith said.

Village President Bill Mueller said the village board's environmental concerns committee is instrumental in identifying ways to save water that will “not be a major drain on our economy,” such as refunding $40 when residents buy rain collection barrels.

“We share the cost of rain barrels to encourage residents to adopt that program to conserve the water that they use for their plants and gardens,” Mueller said.

The village also received points on the survey for replacing water meters in multifamily residences and commercial buildings. Water meters at houses are scheduled to be replaced in about five years, Goldsmith said.

In the meantime, Lombard residents can request a home inspection to identify plumbing leaks that may have caused an expensive water bill, Utilities Superintendent Angela Podesta said in a news release.

Inspection of water mains — another measure included on the survey — is important for older communities like Lombard to ensure outdated infrastructure is not leading to wasted water, Mueller said.

“We've been doing the annual inspection of all of our water mains and so fourth and bringing them up to date when we could,” he said.

Lombard does not meet three of the water-conservation goals measured by the survey because the village lacks financial assistance for high-efficiency toilets and clothes washers and does not have a program for retrofitting old residential plumbing.

But only three commission members surveyed — Addison, Argonne and Bensenville — offer financial assistance for purchasing high-efficiency toilets, and none offer assistance with the purchase of high-efficiency washers.

More information about ways to save water is available by searching “water saving tips” on villageoflombard.org, or at the DuPage Water Commission's conservation website, preservingeverydrop.org.