Water & Wastewater

Water is at the core of climate change and sustainable development.  Quality water is vitally important for socio-economic development, for maintaining healthy ecosystems, and for human survival.  Water is central to the production and preservation of a wide range of services benefiting people.  How we process water is also linked to our GHG emissions.  Water and wastewater related GHG emissions total 2,801 metric tons in Skokie annually

  1. Village Receives Award for Green Alleys

    On Wednesday, January 25th members of the Public Works Department accepted a 2023 American Public Works Association(APWA) Project of the Year award. Read on...
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Implementation is for Everyone!

Some actions in this plan will need to be led by the 
Village Board, Village departments, and/or the business community. In addition, there are steps that households and individuals can take to make an impact.   Click below to find out out the what you as a resident can do to help the Village achieve these visionary goals.

What Can YOU Do button

Water & Wastewater Strategies

Below are the specific Land Use & Housing goals outlined in the 2022 Environmental Sustainability Plan. Clicking on one of them will display the list of actions to be incorporated into the Village's workplans. They are broken down into completed, in-progress, and future and progress is updated quarterly.

  1. Promote increased water conservation community-wide with a targeted reduction of 7.5% by 2030 (199 million gallons conserved annually by 2030).

In-Progress Actions

  • Facilitate reduction of water use by top 20 customers through an opt-in program. Offer free technical resources to large institutions and businesses to identify specific opportunities for employees or customers to conserve water and incorporate water efficiency into internal operations.
  • Enhance and increase enforcement of the Village's outdoor watering restrictions.
  • Develop and implement water conservation education and outreach programs in residential, commercial, and institutional sectors. Include promotion of available water efficiency and conservation incentives and programs.
  • Consider rate design structures that incentivize reductions in water consumption. Include utility services and capacity support to implement income-based payment plan. Include education and engagement plan to raise awareness about climate change and water efficiency.

Future Actions

  • Finalize analysis of leaks in drinking water distribution system, implement findings Goal: reduce water leaks by 50% by 2030.
  • Encourage the installation of low-flow water fixtures in residential homes and expand the program to commercial businesses. Goal: achieve 200 households and 30 businesses and institutions upgraded annually.
  • Explore installation of rainwater collection systems at Village facilities for graywater uses and investigate opportunities for graywater reuse at existing and new Village facilities and properties. Implement graywater systems identified capable of reducing energy/water demand in other areas (for example, watering urban tree canopy to reduce heat island effect and air conditioning needs).
  1. Update design standards and implement plans to meet projected climate change storm water and flood mitigation requirements.
  1. Educate, engage, and empower the public on water quality and conservation.

Questions about the Water and Wastewater sector? Please send an email to Sustainability@skokie.org.