This year’s McHenry County Water Forum will focus on water quality

The amount of water being used within McHenry County is an ongoing issue as municipalities grow, but so is the content of the water itself.

This year’s Water Forum, organized by the McHenry County Department of Planning and Development and the Environmental Defenders of McHenry County, will focus on water quality, said Scott Kuykendall, the county department’s water resource specialist.

The forum, which will take place at McHenry County College on Wednesday, Aug. 31, will come shortly after results are released from a US Geological Survey report on water quality in McHenry County, Kuykendall said.

“It’s an important topic,” Kuykendall said, citing PFAS and CECs as just some of the contaminant classes and “forever chemicals” that can plague regional water sources. Kuykendall said the forum would focus on the “full spectrum” of water quality issues the county may face, as well as potential solutions.

An assessment of county water quality is part of a decadal study from 37 sample well sites, and the county will be briefed by the USGS on Tuesday about the study’s preliminary results, Kuykendall said.

Speakers who will present during the forum include Kuykendall, Nora Beck with the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, USGS hydrologist Amy Galaha and Walt Kelly, head of the Groundwater Science Center at the Illinois State Water Survey.

Kuykendall said the forum may be of particular interest to those with private wells who want to know more about how they can manage or assess their well water quality.

The event will take place from 5:30 to 8 p.m. in MCC’s Luecht Auditorium. Admission is free and the event will be catered by Duke’s Alehouse and Kitchen. Information can be found at www.mchenrycountyil.gov/county-government/departments-j-z/planning-development/water-resources/water-forum.

Correction: This story has been updated to correct the date of the forum. It is taking place on Wednesday, Aug. 31.