NE IL Regional Groundwater Protection Planning Committee (NIRGPPC)

09/05/2025

NE Illinois Groundwater Protection Planning Committee Meeting next Tuesday (9/9/2025) from 10am - noon at Kendall Co. Health Dept - The public may attend in person at Kendall County Health Dept. Members of the committee may attend virtually as well.
Any questions leave a message with us in our messages and we will get back to you.

Send a message to learn more

08/23/2025

Recent PBS Terra Story covering groundwater depletion in various areas of the US and the world. The story conveys a strong message that groundwater is a finite resource in terms of it being able to recharge in a human lifetime aka "peak water". See the videos information section to get journal article links. A 12min watch

For generations, we’ve been pumping water out of the ground assuming it would last forever. But, it’s running out. And a new study shows how global “peak wat...

08/23/2025

land subsidence - The slow and gradual sinking of Earth’s surface
Groundwater depletion does not just affect a precious resource but also the land above the depleted aquifer.
A study was recently conducted on 28 cities around the world regarding their subsidence risk. "The cities with the most widespread subsidence in the United States, with about 98% of the cities’ area affected include Chicago, Dallas, Columbus, Detroit, Fort Worth, Denver, New York, Indianapolis, Houston and Charlotte. In five cities—New York, Chicago, Houston, Dallas and Fort Worth—at least 10% of the city area is sinking at a rate exceeding 3 mm per year. Nature Journal Article

Ohenhen et al. used space geodetic measurements to rigorously quantify land subsidence in the 28 most populous US cities. They find that over 20% of the area in each city is sinking, affecting approximately 34 million people and placing more than 29,000 buildings at high risk of damage.

08/07/2025

2025 Private Well Class Conference Videos are up for public viewing. Many different topics covered by experts in groundwater and water wells. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2jExPDtEDs4KKUd_qVBQeriW0vhk2-tP

Send a message to learn more

08/07/2025

Video recordings from the 2025 Private Well Class Conference's Sessions are now available for viewing. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2jExPDtEDs4KKUd_qVBQeriW0vhk2-tP

If you haven’t already seen… We have some exciting news for you! The video recordings of each session from our 2025 Private Well Conference are now available to watch in full on our YouTube channel.

As a reminder, these presentations were specifically geared for well practitioners. Speakers provided information and insights to be taken home and used locally with individual well owners. Most outreach and education work with well owners is done on a local scale, and this conference supports the thousands of professionals who work with well owners every day — from health department staff, EHPs, drillers, and beyond. This was the fifth national Private Well Conference we have hosted since 2017, and we are so excited to continue the conference next spring and beyond.

Find the entire YouTube playlist of the sessions here! ➡️ https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2jExPDtEDs4KKUd_qVBQeriW0vhk2-tP

07/09/2025

NE Illinois Groundwater Protection Planning Committee Meeting next Tuesday (7/15/2025) from 10am - noon at Kendall Co. Health Dept - The public may attend in person at Kendall County Health Dept. Members of the committee may attend virtually.
Any questions leave a message with us in our messages and we will get back to you. (Unfortunately, Facebook's event feature is not allowing us to post in that section.)

Send a message to learn more

05/02/2025

Our peers at the Illinois State Water Survey recently gave a presentation to Illinois Environmental Health Association's conference. Go check it out here, 1st presentation, in this year's water topics - https://youtu.be/9pv3ucvjbpM?si=NLxPOjWbIAgf_wQC&t=87
You can checkout other topics or past years' presentations at IEHA's youtube page.

04/17/2025

Every 5 minutes, an American dies from an overdose. 47% of misused prescription pain relievers are given by, bought from or taken from a friend or relative. 1 child every 10 minutes is in the emergency room for medication poisoning. 46 million Americans are exposed to trace amounts of pharmaceuticals in their drinking water. Please dispose of unused medications safely at the Kane County locations below.

04/17/2025

The private well class conference is coming up in May. There is still space for registering and to book a room by April 25, 2025. http://privatewellclass.org/conference
An impressive agenda of speakers over 3 days! For government, industry and the general public interested in well water and groundwater protection topics. https://privatewellclass.org/Portals/2/Documents/2025%20agenda_final%20-%20no%20lightning%20talksV3.pdf?ver=IEldUAWDbzxvAaS2Vu2eHQ%3d%3d

The Private Well Conference is returning in 2025 as an in-person event, due to take place May 20-22, 2025 in Bloomington-Normal, IL. It will be held at the Bloomington-Normal Marriott Hotel & Conference Center. 

03/18/2025

Note: NE IL Reg. Groundwater Protection Planning is not affiliated with The Private Well Class or WaterOperator.

🚨 And now for a news break from our sister program, The Private Well Class: Registration for the 2025 Private Well Conference is officially open!

Returning as an in-person event for the first time since 2019, our teams will be hosting the conference from May 20-22 in Bloomington-Normal, Illinois, at the Bloomington-Normal Marriott Hotel & Conference Center. The conference’s purpose is to serve those who work with wells by providing information and insights that can be taken home and used to benefit well owners. Health department staff, lab personnel, extension educators, well drillers, environmental health professionals, and academic researchers are all among the well practitioners we expect to most benefit from the conference.

We know there is not often a huge overlap with this audience and the world of municipal water treatment, but all the same, if you know anyone who is in this audience and may be interested in attending the Private Well Conference, please let them know! Registration, agenda, and transportation information can be found at the Private Well Class website below ⬇️

🔗 : https://privatewellclass.org/conference

02/05/2025

The Private Well Class Conference is returning this spring as an in-person event! It will be in Bloomington-Normal, Illinois, from May 20-22 (save the date) to provide information and insights to well professionals that will benefit well owners all over the country.

This is a "Call for Abstracts" and presenters. The call for abstracts will be open until February 10. Website for submission:
https://privatewellclass.org/conference/present

Per the Private Well Conference organizers regarding the abstracts: They are primarily seeking presentations that are
a) on novel programs that could be replicated in other parts of the country,
b) discuss innovative and non-traditional methods to reach well owners, and/or
c) cover other private well topics of general interest to practitioners, EHP’s, drillers, and other well professionals.

Submissions should include a title, an abstract of 300 words or less, and a speaker bio of 125 words or less. Presentation slots will be 30 minutes long, with 25 minutes allotted for presentation and 5 minutes for questions.

The general conference registration for general attendees will be opening soon. Past conferences can be found on this page: https://privatewellclass.org/conference

The Private Well Conference is returning in 2025 as an in-person event, due to take place May 20-22, 2025 in Bloomington, IL. It will be held at the Bloomington-Normal Marriott Hotel & Conference Center. 

02/03/2025

Reminder to register for the 2025 Water System Operator Virtual Conference, which, starts tomorrow! (Feb. 4-6, 2025) hosted by WaterOperator.org and RCAP.
https://event.gotowebinar.com/event/eca793db-491b-4bb5-b589-bfba2fc41c81
Participants can earn up to 12 drinking water continuing education hours.

Topics for this FREE, online event include PFAS, Excel for compliance reporting, cybersecurity, chlorine meters, how to create a flushing program, and more. Each session is delivered by a technical assistance provider from the RCAP network.
(Below image is just a photo, not the link. Registration is the web address in the post above.)