By DEBORAH BEHRENDS
Illinois Correspondent

SYCAMORE, Ill. — Groundwater levels have dropped as much as 50 feet in the past 20 years and water withdrawals have exceeded recharge levels in parts of DeKalb County, according to the Illinois State Water Survey.

A few years ago a Malta farmer’s 380-foot well went dry at the same time the city of DeKalb drilled a new municipal well west of DeKalb. The farmer paid more than $16,000 to have a new, deeper well drilled.

Experts claim that if groundwater is withdrawn faster than it is recharged in the aquifers, wells will need to be dug deeper, and eventually there may be water shortages.

The Farm Bureaus in DeKalb, Boone and McHenry counties support the establishment of the Kishwaukee Valley Water Authority (KVWA) to provide the mechanism to protect future groundwater usage from depleting groundwater supply.

“The water authority would protect the longevity of rural wells from the impacts of high volume municipal wells being placed in rural areas,” said Paul Rasmussen, DeKalb County Farm Bureau president. “Agriculture relies heavily on groundwater for growing crops and raising livestock.”

While the KVWA’s primary purpose is to monitor water usage, the authority would help ensure that the rate of growth is proportionate to the sustainable supply of water available from the Kishwaukee Valley aquifers.

DeKalb County residents (except those residing in the cities of Genoa, Sandwich, Somonauk and Maple Park as well as Sandwich and Somonauk townships) will vote on the proposed KVWA in the April 17 Consolidated Election.

Also voting on the KVWA are residents in portions of Boone and McHenry counties.

Two questions will appear on the ballot: The first will ask if voters are for or against the creation of the Kishwaukee Valley Water Authority.

The second will ask voters yes or no to levy a tax on all taxable property for the water authority.

The Farm Bureau believes a three-county regional water authority will be an efficient use of tax dollars. The referendum calls for a levy of $675,000 which equates to 2.5 cents per $100 equalized assessed valuation (EAV) rate on all assessed property within the KVWA district.

This amounts to about $20 per year for homeowners (based on a $250,000 home) and $8 per year for farmowners with 160 acres (5 cents per acre).

The KVWA would monitor, study and regulate the use of water for future high-capacity wells in the defined boundaries in DeKalb, Boone and McHenry counties.

Existing residential, agricultural and municipal wells will not be affected by the water authority.

The Farm Bureaus in DeKalb, Boone and McHenry have endorsed the establishment and funding of the KVWA to protect groundwater resources.

Other groups supporting the proposed water authority are the DeKalb, Boone and McHenry County Soil and Water Conservation Districts; the Alliance for Land, Agriculture and Water (A-LAW); American Farmland Trust; DeKalb Firefighters Local 1236, the Kishwaukee Solduc Group of the Illinois Chapter of the Sierra Club; and The Committee for the Preservation of Wildlife, a student organization at Northern Illinois University.

“The water authority would ensure sustainable water supplies,” Rasmussen said.

“As growth continues, high capacity wells will be sited. DeKalb County homeowners and businesses need to have some protection against any negative impacts of these new wells.”

The Illinois Association of Realtors has dumped $30,000 into the coffers of the newly formed Citizens Against Water Authority, according to the Illinois State Board of Elections campaign disclosures.

The March 22 donation is almost 10 times the total contributions to the Alliance for Land, Agriculture and Water supporting the referendum.

According to the organization’s website, the Illinois Farmers Union opposes the authority.

“We have great concerns on how the property tax burden under this proposed authority has disproportionately shifted to the farming community. Family farms and rural residents do not need to surrender their water rights and their local control to an unelected three-member commission,” said Bryan Sharp, president of the Illinois Farmers Union.

“I greatly appreciate the endorsement o the Illinois Farmers Union has given us in our efforts to protect family farms and rural residents from this troublesome proposal,” said Steve Vidmar, DeKalb resident and co-chairman of Citizens Against Water Authority.

Currently, 17 water authorities in Illinois protect and manage groundwater for the benefit of rural communities.