Water

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.

Bloomington Mayor Dan Brady acknowledged in a WGLT interview the city has already begun to go its own way in project advocacy. Brady has been critical of the annual One Voice collective community lobbying trip to Washington. The city sent its delegation a day early this year to push its own projects.

The City of Bloomington doesn't know what's happening to up to 3 million gallons of water per day — and it could be more during the summer. An aging treatment and distribution system is a root cause.

Water conservation measures by Bloomington residents are still voluntary for now. Mayor Dan Brady said if the levels in the reservoir fall another two feet, they might not stay optional.