Noelle Forde
WICS NewsChannel 20
It’s an effort decades in the making, city leaders pushing for Springfield to get a second lake.
Right now, the city is working on an environmental impact study for the project, known as Hunter Lake.
City officials say this lake has been 50 years in the making. At the city council meeting on Tuesday, aldermen approved a $90,000 recreational study by the University of Illinois.
“That’s why we’re pushing it, is to really have that final decision made. They call it a supplemental water supply. It’s really a backup,” Jim Langfelder, the Springfield Mayor.
CWLP water division manager Ted Meckes says we need this second water source, especially if there were ever a drought.
According to the Illinois water survey, a drought of record is 18 months. Mayor Langfelder says a lake would be more beneficial than the alternative water plan.
“The other alternative that it came down to was building a pipeline from Havana and that’s just a pipeline. You don’t get any economic added value like you would with a lake,” says Langfelder.
But not everyone is on board, Ward 7 alderman Joe McMenamin doesn’t think there’s a need for a second water source.
“I’d rather put that money into properly maintaining our first lake. And we need to pull the plug for the time being that we need a supplemental water supply because our water needs have been flat for 50 years,” says McMenamin.
McMenamin says we have enough lakes in the area already.
“We’ve got lots of recreational lakes already. We’ve got Sangchris, we’ve got Shelbyville, we’ve got Carlisle.”
CWLP officials say the study will be completed in August. They estimate that Hunter lake would cost around $120 million to construct.
This recreational study is just one of the steps to getting this lake constructed.
Joe McMenamin for Ward 7 