Northwest Herald | McHenry County leaders discuss drought

 

The National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center predicts Illinois’ dry conditions will persist or get worse through September. Experts such as Cory Horton, county storm-water engineer, said governments and water users must cooperate.

“I think now is the time to plan, to prepare and to work together,” Horton said.

McHenry County, like about half of the state, is experiencing “moderate” drought by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration standards

….Much of McHenry County is between 50 percent and 75 percent of normal precipitation

Read the rest of the story by clicking on the following:   http://www.nwherald.com/2012/07/11/mchenry-county-leaders-discuss-drought/a3igl2t/

Poplar Grove required to increase water and sewer rates

Rates increased 19 percent two years ago. Now they will increase another 7 percent starting May 1, as a result of action taken during a special village board meeting Feb. 29.
A public hearing on the refinancing plan and the proposed rate increase will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday (March 8) at village hall, 200 Hill St.

Click on the following for more details:  Poplar Grove required to increase water and sewer rates

Dave Zirin: Gov. Scott Walker Puts Out Fire With Gasoline

He's proud because Gov. Scott Walker is an ignorant man, in the truest, most literal sense of the word.

expects people to applaud his desire to sell the state's power supply using private, no-bid contracts? How else to describe someone who wants to defund planned parenthood, eliminate protections for same-sex couples, and then has the gall to preach "family values"?

It was the fact that Walker said on February 11th, before the protests even began, that the National Guard would be mobilized if anyone raised a fuss over his plans to destroy the unions. It was the fact that Walker never gave the impression that such a move was coming during the election cycle. And it was the fact that voter turnout, especially among the young, was so low, he had a massive crisis of legitimacy from day one. People felt like they had moved from "government by the people for the people" to "government by this Walker guy, for the Koch brothers."

unions are meeting around the state and the question of a General Strike is real. The South Central Federation of Labor, the labor council for the greater Madison area, passed a resolution endorsing a general strike if the public sector unions call such action.

other avenues that should also be pursued: Occupy the capital. Recall Scott Walker. Show up at every town hall meeting one of the cowardly 18 state senators dare show their face

Click on the following for all of this Huffington Post article:  Dave Zirin: Gov. Scott Walker Puts Out Fire With Gasoline

Canadian government approves plan to treat sewage

sewage from Victoria [B.C.] and its suburbs meets provincial requirements and will reduce contaminants.

The region discharges about 34 million gallons of raw sewage into the Strait of Juan de Fuca each day, and the issue has been a sore point on both sides of the border….

Forty years ago, the community decided not to treat its sewage. Now we're back to where we should have been," said Christianne Wilhelmson, executive director with the British Columbia-based Georgia Strait Alliance, which has pushed for sewage treatment for years.

Click on the following for more details:  Local News | Canadian government approves plan to treat sewage | Seattle Times Newspaper

McHenry County begins monitoring water

 

The solar-powered data reporter was one of 40 installed on monitor wells around the county to see how fast groundwater's being used up by development.  They all shoot the data to a communications satellite which beams it back to earth where it's routed through the Internet, eventually to be posted on a County water website.

Click on the following for more details:  FirstElectricNewspaper