From Local Utility to Regional Engine
Water infrastructure rarely makes headlines and that’s by design. When systems work, they are invisible. But across the country, aging infrastructure, climate pressures and public health concerns are pushing water systems into sharper focus. In Chicago, we are confronting these challenges head-on while positioning our city as a regional leader in water management and economic growth.
The Chicago Department of Water Management is the largest municipal water utility in the United States. Each day, we purify and deliver approximately 750 million gallons of Lake Michigan water to more than 5.1 million people across Chicago and 120 surrounding communities. That reach already serves roughly 41 percent of Illinois’ population. Yet, it represents only about one-third of our total system capacity.
That excess capacity is not just a statistic. I view it as an opportunity.
One of the clearest examples is our long-term partnership with the City of Joliet. Facing a rapidly declining groundwater aquifer, Joliet decided to transition to a sustainable surface water source. In 2021, they selected the Chicago Department of Water Management as their provider. Today, we are working together on a 30-mile transmission pipeline that will begin delivering water in 2030.
That pipeline is the pathway to a new marketplace as Joliet and five neighboring communities have formed the Grand Prairie Water Commission, creating a scalable model to reach future customers. The agreement will generate approximately $30 million annually for Chicago’s water fund; revenue that will directly support system maintenance, modernization and resilience.
At a time when many areas of the country are grappling with water scarcity, Chicago is uniquely positioned. Access to Lake Michigan provides a stable, high-quality freshwater source that can support both population growth and economic development. As climate change reshapes where people and businesses can thrive, dependable water infrastructure will increasingly drive location decisions. I believe that Chicago will become a destination for that next wave of growth.
But while we plan for the future, we must also confront the legacy challenges beneath our streets.
Chicago has more than 400,000 lead service lines, more than any other city in the nation. Until 1986, service lines were required to be led under our Municipal Code. Now, replacing them represents one of the largest infrastructure efforts currently underway in the United States.
The scale of the challenge far exceeds available resources. Federal funding, including support from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, represents only a small fraction of what is needed. Replacing a single lead service line often requires layering multiple funding sources, each with its own constraints on how the money can be used.
As a result, we have built programs that prioritize low-income households, childcare facilities and areas already undergoing infrastructure improvements.
If we are serious about public health and environmental justice, sustained and flexible investment in water infrastructure must be part of the national agenda.
While we face down the funding challenges related to replacement, we are successfully leveraging science and data to reduce risk now. Through an optimized corrosion control treatment introduced last year, we have already seen a decrease from the typical lead concentration by 25 to 30% in lead concentrations in drinking water citywide, with further improvements expected. We also operate the nation’s largest free residential water testing program, empowering residents with information about their water quality.
Climate change is adding further urgency to funding for water infrastructure upgrades. Like those of many in older cities, Chicago’s combined sewer system was not designed for the increasingly intense storms we now experience. In recent years, we have seen record-breaking rainfall events overwhelm local systems and flood neighborhoods.
In response, we are deploying a range of strategies: Targeted sewer cleaning, new technologies to slow stormwater entering the system such as downspout disconnection programs, restrictor replacement/installation program. We are also advancing larger-scale solutions, including deep tunnel expansions in flood prone areas and localized storage projects designed to reduce basement flooding and protect communities.
None of this work happens in isolation. It depends on partnerships across all levels of government, the private sector and community organizations. It also depends on public understanding and support. Water may be invisible when it works but the decisions and investments we make today will determine whether it continues to work for generations to come.
Chicago has spent more than 150 years building one of the most robust water systems in the world. Now, we are building on that foundation by expanding regionally, modernizing locally and preparing for a future where water is not just essential to life, but central to opportunity.
By Randy Conner. He is the Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Water Management. He may be reached at randy.conner@cityofchicago.org
This is featured in our May/June issue of American Infrastructure. Read the print version here.
This story was posted on our Instagram, Facebook, X and LinkedIn.
