Huntley Asks for Residents Cooperation to Turn Off Sprinklers, Conserve Water

Huntley Public Works Director Jim Schwartz monitors Huntley’s water usage every day. He also monitors weather conditions and news about the region’s drought.

The heat has played a factor in the high water usage — which has hit 5.5 million gallons a day several times this summer — as has the drought, he said. About 61 percent of the country is in a drought, he added.

“We are in a really big one,” Schwartz said, adding crops in downstate Illinois aren’t growing due to the drought. “It’s a disaster.”

Illinois counties have been able to apply for federal aid due to the drought, which the National Weather Service predicts will last into October. The forecast alarmed Schwartz, who recently sent out another reminder about water usage.

Overall, ground water levels have dropped 2 feet, evident in the drying creeks and rivers, he said.

The drought really started in December and January with the mild winter. The lack of significant snowfall, no rain this spring and the hot temperatures this summer all contributed to the drought conditions hitting more than half the country, Schwartz said.

As the drought continues, lawns get drier and drier. People start watering their grass or using irrigation systems, which lead to high water usage, he said.

People “just can’t grasp that grass just needs an inch of water per week,” Schwartz said. “People are just putting way too much water on their grass. The roots don’t go deep.”

Lawns end up looking like “a marsh,” said Steve Zonta, utilities supervisor.

A huge issue is the irrigations systems installed in many Sun City Huntley homes, Schwartz said. Some residents have spent thousands of dollars on the sprinkler systems and use them regularly, he said.

Sun City Huntley’s common grounds are watered using treated sewer water, he said.

Huntley began banning sod installation and put a hold on permitting irrigation systems, he said. The public works department has also issued a Code Yellow limiting outdoor water use to 6 to 9 a.m. and 6 to 9 p.m. on odd/even days depending on the address. Schwartz thinks six hours maybe too long and may want to prohibit watering to either the morning or evening only.

“We are just asking people to turn off their sprinklers,” he said. “We’d just like some cooperation.”

The lower temps and rainfall did help Huntley last week. Water usage was less than 4 million gallons a day, Schwartz said. But it may be a false sense of security for people since the dog days of August remain and the drought is expected to continue.

Schwartz may have to issue a Code Red if the water usage doesn’t stay under 3 or 4 million gallons a day.

A Code Red would restrict any outdoor watering, from watering lawns to running the sprinkler for the kids to washing cars, he said. It may also require Public Works staff to go door to door in Sun City Huntley to assist people in turning off their sprinkler systems, he said.

Life may be only slightly different for Huntley residents under a Code Red, unlike people living in places such as neighboring Algonquin or California. In Algonquin, residents are charged, sometimes triple the water rate, if they use more than a certain amount allowed.

In some parts of California, people need permits for rain barrels since the rain is needed to recharge aquifers.

“That’s how precious water is to people in other parts of the country,” Schwartz said.