Stateline Aquifers, the Rock River, Hydrogeology, and You.

Good morning everyone.   After the scheduling reminder at the top of this update, this is going to be a data-heavy email, one that we will continue to revisit and parse over the coming days and weeks.  There are a number of resources within the article featured below and they are well worth our attention and understanding.

Without further ado, here is the upcoming schedule of Ogle County committee and full OCB meetings for the month of September: 

September 8th, 2026 (from 8am to 4:3pm)
8am: Road & Bridge Committee
9am: HR & Risk Management
10am: Assessments, Planning & Zoning
11am: SA, Court Svc, Focus House, Judiciary, & Circuit Clerk
12pm: Ethics & Governance
1pm: County Facilities, Security, & IT
2pm: Long Range & Strategic Planning
3pm: HEW, Solid Waste, & VAC
4pm: Finance & Insurance
4:30pm: Executive

September 15th: 
5:30pm, Ogle County Board (Full)

September 17th:
6:00pm, Regional Planning Commission

September 24th: 
Zoning Board of Appeals CANCELLED

And here comes the science!  To start, we wanted to share the definition of hydrogeology (from the International Association of Hydrogeologists, the Worldwide Groundwater Organization): hydrogeology is the study of groundwater – it is sometimes referred to as geohydrology or groundwater hydrology. Hydrogeology deals with how water gets into the ground (recharge), how it flows in the subsurface (through aquifers) and how groundwater interacts with the surrounding soil and rock (the geology).

Hydrogeologists are involved in attempting to solve some of the big questions facing the world today, including sustainable water supply, food and energy production; environmental protection; and coping with climate change. They work closely with a wide range of people, from individual farmers and well owners; to other scientists and engineers; to agronomists, sociologists, economists, policy makers, regulators and planners.

With hydrogeology clearly defined, we wanted to share a news update from WIFR dated December 4th, 2024.   To view the visual news segment, click here: Stateline aquifers lose more water than they refill. A new study asks why.  (Reporting by Nathaniel Langley, Published Dec. 4, 2024 at 10:30 PM CST)

BOONE COUNTY, Ill. (WIFR) - There’s a leaf half-frozen on the bank of the Kishwaukee River in Boone County. As winter moves in, ice creeps out from the river’s edge.

Around 300 feet below the ground sits a different water resource: an aquifer. The underground water feeds the river and fills taps across Boone County – stretching across the stateline.

It’s difficult to notice how the aquifer connects with the river while standing above. It’s not an underground river; rather, its a layer of sand and gravel with water saturated in between (left by glaciers).

Dan Kane – a water resource specialist with Boone County – says they’re connected, and face a growing (or more appropriately, shrinking) issue.

“It’s a bigger picture than just Boone County, but this community needs to know,” claims Kane. The specialist leads an upcoming study inspecting the water below Boone County.

Recent data reveals water levels have dropped by nearly 1,000 ft. across Northern Illinois since major settlement. Kane stresses there’s no immediate threat to local water wells or taps disconnecting, but a risk lingers in the future.

The geologic study will acquire “what the science tells us about these resources and how they connect,” says Kane. “And then taking the steps to thoughtfully plan out how do you protect that water resource.”

A map from the Illinois State Water Survey  shows water levels especially decrease around Joliet. Kane believes overdevelopment (with new neighborhoods, manufacturing and businesses) drains aquifers faster than they can replenish.

One of his diagrams shows that effect: “cones of depression” form around wells, lowering the water table and tilting levels.

“If everybody’s pulling water from the same soil, of course, it becomes even more important where does the recharge come from,” Kane considers.

Besides overdevelopment, another reason for dwindling aquifers is climate change – according to Trent Ford, the Illinois State Climatologist.

“We’re extracting the water at a faster rate than it’s being replenished, and that’s really where this runoff issue comes in,” contends Ford.

He describes Illinois as “wetter than ever,” with rain and severe storms striking with more intensity. Although Rockford may receive a consistent amount of rain year-round in recent years, events like this summer (where several inches fall in an hour or so), overwhelm stormwater systems and “runoff” into the Rock River.

“Which of course is going to go to the Mississippi, out into the Gulf [and] that water is gone,” exclaims Ford. “Which means it doesn’t permeate into the groundwater reserve.” Even in a more flood-prone climate, rainwater doesn’t have time to soak into the ground.

At the same time, “we’re increasing demand for that water,” says Ford. As more development leads to increased water consumption, a “balance” isn’t met.

Although the Chicago area has Lake Michigan for drinking water, the stateline relies on recharged aquifers. Boone County’s study focuses on data collection that can provide answers for keeping our aquatic resource.

That study begins in the spring, with a helicopter lifting off at a to-be-determined local school: “You’re going to get a picture of the Earth down to 1000 feet. That’s just like an MRI of the of the ground,” says Kane.

He describes the process as a helicopter flying over the county, equipped with an electromagnetic transmitter loop – generating a magnetic field to measure the water levels.

It’ll be decades before the study inspires any improvements. Still, Ford proposes solutions anyone (from homeowners to factory owners) can try now: conservation, rain gardens and better land management.

“We can allow those groundwater reserves to recharge.... [by] making sure we’re using water in an efficient and sustainable way,” he asserts. Whatever the study answers, Ford says any strategy with aquifers is absorption.

An article from Kane shows what residents can expect as the study takes flight. That can be found here.
Copyright 2024 WIFR. All rights reserved.

Throughout this week, we will be delving into the following: “Understanding Our Shared Water Supply”, "Mapping 3D Geology and Aquifers using Airborne Geophysics Boone County, Illinois”,  and “Hydrogeology of the Rock River Region”. 

It looks like it might be a week of not-so-stunning weather.  Why not get some reading done?