City of Evanston
Home MenuSource Water Protection Plan
Source Water Protection Plan
Vision Statement:
Evanston’s Source Water Protection Program is committed to maintaining a sustainable and abundant supply of safe, high-quality drinking water for Evanston and the communities it serves through a proactive and coordinated approach now and into the future.
Importance of Source Water:
Evanston’s source of water, Lake Michigan, is an incredible source of surface fresh water globally. More than 20 percent of the world’s available surface fresh water is contained in Lake Michigan and the other Great Lakes. Evanston recognizes the integral importance of its drinking water source, and works to uphold the tenets of the Great Lakes–St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact (Great Lakes Compact).
Evanston treats water from three intakes in Lake Michigan to supply water to the more than 77,000 residents and businesses in Evanston, along with an additional population of over 410,000 through its dependent wholesale community customers. At its capacity, Evanston’s water treatment plant is able to supply 108 million gallons of drinking water per day. Evanston and its Water Division staff are committed to being good stewards of this precious resource, as demonstrated by the many initiatives and activities outlined in this Plan.
Lake Michigan Watershed: