Digging deep on Hunter Lake – 9/22/2016
Bruce Rushton
The Illinois Times
While Pawnee questions the design of Hunter Lake, an engineering firm that has worked for the village questions the need for a 3,000-acre reservoir, which would stretch to the burg south of Springfield. Mudflats and mosquitoes are Pawnee’s “number one environmental issue,” village attorney John Myers wrote in a Sept. 14 letter to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which must issue a permit and so solicited public comment on the proposed lake.
“The potential for rotting vegetation, odors and insect infestations is obvious, and will significantly degrade the quality of life in Read the rest of this entry »
Alderman McMenamin Addresses Hunter Lake 7/21/2015
Letter: Is Hunter Lake really needed? Jun. 28, 2016
At the May 17 CWLP public forum, Mayor Langfelder said the proposed Hunter Lake II is more about economic development than need for more water in a severe drought. He may have revealed an inconvenient truth to the Army Corps Of Engineers and U.S. EPA, who must grant the permits to build it.
Ward 7 Alderman McMenamin, at the June 7 council meeting, reported the latest (2015) forecast of treated water use is 25 million gallons per day by the year 2065, about five decades from now. Actual treated water use has averaged between 20 and 23 million gallons per day over the last four decades since 1975. The projected increase is barely 10 percent more.
The Corps’ 2000 final Environmental Impact Statement projected treated water not accounted for (leakage, thefts?) would average 2 1/2 million gallons per day. How much unaccounted treated water was there actually in 2015? Still 10 percent daily?
Waste not, need not!
Donald Davis
Pleasant Plains
Chart prepared by Clark Bullard, engineering professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
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Council approves recreational demand study for Hunter Lake – Feb 4, 2020
Brenden Moore
The State Journal-Register
The Springfield City Council approved a contract Tuesday evening with the University of Illinois’ Office of Recreation and Parks Resources to conduct a study of recreational demand on a second lake.
The council voted 7-2-1 to approve the ordinance, which authorizes the spending of up to $90,434 on the study. Alds. Joe McMenamin and Erin Conley voted “no.” Ward 6 Ald. Kristin DiCenso, who works for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, abstained.
The study was requested by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which last year Read the rest of this entry »
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Letter: Hunter Lake alternatives – another look – May 11, 2017
Richard Leary
The State Journal-Register
Springfield city officials are changing the decades-old design for Hunter Lake. They are considering reducing the lake capacity from about 21 million gallons per day to around 12 million gallons.
A smaller second lake would still meet the city’s projected water needs over the next nearly 50 years, according to the engineering firm the city has hired to assist with the study. Thus a 42 percent reduction in volume is justified. Read the rest of this entry »
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Ald. McMenamin wants openness on Springfield’s water needs – May 2, 2017
Mary Hansen
The State Journal-Register
Discussion of an engineering contract to redesign Springfield’s proposed second lake turned to questions about what information is available from an ongoing environmental study on a backup water supply. City Water, Light and Power is completing the study so it can obtain a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Ward 7 Ald. Joe McMenamin questioned utility officials about when the council could review documents that outline the need for Hunter Lake and provide an analysis of the alternatives.
“There’s a lot of division of opinion about this, so we want Read the rest of this entry »
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Letter: Hunter Lake flaws – Apr. 29, 2017
The State Journal-Register
Don Hanrahan
At the April 11 Committee of the Whole meeting of the Springfield City Council, CWLP’s consultant, Bill Elzinga of Amec Foster Wheeler, updated the council on Hunter Lake studies. The upshot is this: The city spent over $500,000 for Amec’s Phase 1 and 2 scoping and alternatives studies, only to learn that the design for Hunter Lake is “fundamentally flawed.”
Opponents of this project have been explaining that to the city for years — for free!
Now, we are told, they need to Read the rest of this entry »
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City water issues topic of Wednesday meeting – Apr. 14, 2017
Mary Hansen
The State Journal-Register
Springfield residents will have the opportunity to ask questions and hear updates about the city’s water resources at a public meeting Wednesday. Mayor Jim Langfelder and City Water, Light and Power officials plan to briefly discuss utility and city initiatives and respond to questions from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Lake Beach House on Long Bay Drive.
The update will include comments on a backup water supply for Springfield, shoreline-stabilization efforts and watershed-protection programs for Lake Springfield, according to Read the rest of this entry »
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Planned size of Hunter Lake scaled back – Apr. 12, 2017
Mary Hansen
The State Journal-Register
City Water, Light and Power is downsizing plans for a second lake. Past designs put Hunter Lake’s capacity at about 21 million gallons per day, while an updated design is likely to be around 12 million gallons, CWLP’s water division manager Ted Meckes said Tuesday.
The reduced size provides room to build sediment basins and implement other strategies to prevent soil erosion and fertilizer runoff from seeping into the lake.
The updated design is part of an environmental study that the city needs to Read the rest of this entry »
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CWLP officials discuss effect of proposed Pawnee natural gas plant – Mar. 7 2017
Mary Hansen
The State Journal-Register
Preliminary plans are in the works for a natural-gas power plant in Pawnee that could affect City Water, Light and Power, Springfield Mayor Jim Langfelder informed the city council Tuesday night.
Aldermen may have to weigh in on the project as the company seeking to build the plant, EmberClear Corp., is looking for the city and Sangamon County to expand their joint enterprise zone, according to the mayor. The zone offers tax breaks for companies that promise to retain or expand jobs in the area.
Competition with a natural-gas plant in wholesale electricity Read the rest of this entry »
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CWLP sees possibility for regulatory relief under Trump – Jan 19, 2017
Mary Hansen
The State Journal-Register
City Water, Light and Power’s finances are in better shape than they have been in years, chief engineer Doug Brown told aldermen at a budget hearing Thursday.
Still, officials with the city-owned utility say they need to plan for costly projects to ensure the coal-fired power plant meets federal regulations in the coming years. Republican President-Elect Donald Trump, who takes office Friday, and his administration could ease some of those environmental restrictions Read the rest of this entry »
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Animal control payment approved by aldermen, but not without questions – Oct 4, 2016
Mary Hansen
The State Journal-Register
Despite concerns raised by a resident and a couple of aldermen, the Springfield City Council on Tuesday approved more than $354,000 to contract with Sangamon County for animal control services.
Springfield resident Eric Reiss told aldermen he’s called animal control several times to report incidents with an aggressive dog in his neighborhood, but has gotten little response.
Still, Ward 3 Ald. Doris Turner encouraged patience with animal control, Read the rest of this entry »
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Springfield buying more land for Hunter Lake – Sep 27, 2016
Mary Hansen
The State Journal-Register
While the permit process for a supplemental water source for Springfield continues, the city has plans to purchase another property for Hunter Lake. Tuesday night, the Springfield City Council put the purchase of land on Brunk Cemetery Road for up to $125,000 on its consent agenda for next week’s meeting. Items on the consent agenda typically pass without opposition.
“We are committed, (Hunter Lake) is our preferred alternative,” Mayor Jim Langfelder said Read the rest of this entry »
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Digging deep on Hunter Lake – Go down 30 feet, Pawnee says Sept. 22, 2016
Bruce Rushton
The Illinois Times
While Pawnee questions the design of Hunter Lake, an engineering firm that has worked for the village questions the need for a 3,000-acre reservoir, which would stretch to the burg south of Springfield. Mudflats and mosquitoes are Pawnee’s “number one environmental issue,” village attorney John Myers wrote in a Sept. 14 letter to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which must issue a permit and so solicited public comment on the proposed lake.
“The potential for rotting vegetation, odors and insect infestations is obvious, and will significantly degrade the quality of life in Read the rest of this entry »
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On a mission: City pushes for Hunter Lake. Again. Sept. 8, 2016
Bruce Rushton
The Illinois Times
Not long after an epic drought, good news arrived.
“After what Springfield went through in 1954, it is heartening to know that the city’s water supply will be wholly adequate for the next 20 years,” the Illinois State Journal proclaimed in a 1958 editorial that trumpeted the results of a just-published water study.
The forecast by the engineering firm of Crawford, Murphy and Tilly was based on worst-case scenarios Read the rest of this entry »
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Letter: Is Hunter Lake really needed? Jun. 28, 2016
At the May 17 CWLP public forum, Mayor Langfelder said the proposed Hunter Lake II is more about economic development than need for more water in a severe drought. He may have revealed an inconvenient truth to the Army Corps Of Engineers and U.S. EPA, who must grant the permits to build it.
Ward 7 Alderman McMenamin, at the June 7 council meeting, reported the latest (2015) forecast of treated water use is 25 million gallons per day by the year 2065, about five decades from now. Actual treated water use has averaged between 20 and 23 million gallons per day over the last four decades since 1975. The projected increase is barely 10 percent more.
The Corps’ 2000 final Environmental Impact Statement projected treated water not accounted for (leakage, thefts?) would average 2 1/2 million gallons per day. How much unaccounted treated water was there actually in 2015? Still 10 percent daily?
Waste not, need not!
Donald Davis
Pleasant Plains
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Hunter Lake far from reality as Springfield mayor, council push forward Aug. 22, 2015
Jamie Munks
The State Journal-Register
As indecision about how to boost the capital city’s drinking water supply dragged on for decades, another community 520 miles southeast of Springfield was also awaiting a reservoir. While it took 30 years to plan and build Lake McIntosh near Peachtree City, Georgia, that lake came into use in 2013.
In Springfield, meanwhile, the proposed backup water supply, dubbed Hunter Lake, just last month got a fresh endorsement from the city council and, after 50 years of discussion and debate, is still awaiting permits Read the rest of this entry »
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Hunter Lake ordinance passes, McMenamin only dissenting vote Jul. 21, 2015
Jamie Munks
The State Journal-Register
The Springfield City Council on Tuesday overwhelmingly backed Hunter Lake as its choice for a supplemental water source, uniting behind the proposal that has been the subject of a decades-spanning debate.
Nine of the 10 aldermen, along with Mayor Jim Langfelder, co-sponsored the ordinance in support of building Hunter Lake. Ward 7 Ald. Joe McMenamin was the only alderman who wasn’t listed as a sponsor, and he was the only dissenting vote. Read the rest of this entry »
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City council united in Hunter Lake support; McMenamin only non-sponsor Jul 14, 2015
Jamie Munks
The State Journal-Register
All but one of Springfield’s aldermen are sponsoring an ordinance endorsing Hunter Lake, but they got an earful Tuesday night from several opponents who questioned the necessity and cost.
Seven people spoke out at a committee of the whole meeting against the proposal to build a backup water supply to Lake Springfield, contending that building lakes “is a thing of the past,” that the city faces more pressing needs Read the rest of this entry »
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Eight aldermen sponsoring ordinance authorizing second lake Jul. 4, 2015
Jamie Munks
The State Journal-Register
Eight of Springfield’s 10 aldermen are sponsoring a measure that would authorize building Hunter Lake, the long-debated backup water supply for the city. Aldermen will consider the proposed ordinance at a July 14 committee of the whole meeting, and it could come up for a full city council vote as soon as July 21. Read the rest of this entry »
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Springfield aldermen to take up CWLP electric rate restructuring, second lake this summer Jun. 7, 2015
Jamie Munks
The State Journal-Register
The Springfield City Council is expected to take action this summer on restructuring electric rates and whether to strongly push forward on Hunter Lake, the long-debated proposal for a backup water source. Mayor Jim Langfelder said he hopes to have an electric fund rate restructuring plan to present to the city council sometime in July and a resolution supporting Hunter Lake within the next month Read the rest of this entry »
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Let the sunshine in: Springfield’s troubles with open government March 20, 2014
Bruce Rushton
The IL Times
Mayor Mike Houston calls the shots at Springfield city council meetings. And hizzoner wasn’t much interested in following rules or listening to anyone when nine people signed up to speak about Hunter Lake, the city’s proposed alternate water source, at the March 4 council meeting. Read the rest of this entry »
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Critics contest study’s gravel-pit findings Aug 24, 2013
Jason Nevel
The State Journal-Register
Springfield Mayor Mike Houston says the city will submit results of a recent study on gravel pits in the Sangamon River Valley to the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers for review.
Meanwhile, the conclusion reached in the study that the gravel pits near Riverton are not a viable option as a secondary water source is facing scrutiny. Read the rest of this entry »
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Joe McMenamin for Ward 7 