Water

The City of Bloomington will need to update a more than decade-old study to better understand its water needs and how to move forward. That was among the findings presented to the city council by consulting firm Farnsworth Group in a study of the city's water usage and possible avenues for expansion.

As the City of Bloomington considers how to get more water in the future, planners could look to the city of Joliet for an example. One of the options under study by Bloomington would be for the city to build a pipeline to the Illinois River.

Data centers may have a big geographical footprint, but they don't necessarily use a lot of water compared to other industrial facilities. WGLT gathered some data to help put data center water use in context, based on what's been approved in Joliet between here and Chicago.

Data centers are getting a lot of attention in Bloomington. In Normal, not so much — both in inquiries by business and concerns from the public.

In his first State of the City speech, Bloomington Mayor Dan Brady said the city has accomplished a lot in his first year in office.

City Manager Jeff Jurgens doesn't think there is any location inside city limits that would be suitable for a large-scale data center, though there may be places outside municipal limits that fall under county government.

A grant that will help fund a two-mile stretch of new sewer interceptor on Bloomington-Normal’s west side is part of a much larger project that may link some small towns in McLean County to the Twin Cities' sewage treatment system.

The Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition said data center operators need to be transparent about what the public gets out of the big installations, releasing polling data showing 70% of Illinois residents support tighter regulation of the data center industry embodied in the POWER Act.

The City of Bloomington had strongly recommended residents and citizens take measures to cut back on water use, but recent rain brought lake levels up more than 3 feet.

The City of Bloomington is engaged in a significant planning effort to look for ways to expand its drinking water supply. Water director Brett Lueschen said the city will likely need more water in the future.