Where does your water come from?

Yesterday we attended a church anniversary in Okawville, Illinois and I spent some time talking with the mayor of Nashville, Illinois, Ray Kolweier.  Maybe it was the story in the Collinsville Journal about Collinsville being pressed by the IEPA to add a third water tower in order to have a 3 million gallon supply on hand, or maybe it's just because city infrastructure interests me, but the mayor and I discussed how Nashville handles water and sewer.

Nashville treats its own water and the supply comes from "the river" (I don't know which one, maybe the Kaskaskia) Washington County Lake, and a pond or two.  They also treat their own sewage through the use of another pond, and this is where it gets murky, without the use of a treatment plant.  How this works I don't know, we ran out of time for a larger explanation.

I find this business of water and sewer endlessly fascinating.  We take it for granted, but so much has to go into both of these things in order for us make use of them safely.  Collinsville uses wells exclusively and has its own water and sewer treatment plants ( well run it should be noted), while other Metro East cities as well as St. louis cities get their water from the Mississippi.

In Clayton the storm water drains and the sewer drains are combined in a large part of the city.  No one likes that at all, but it is what it is.  Now we learn that the Metropolitan sewer district is going to be charging for the amount of storm water runoff going into property drains.

Looks like cities and property owners should be looking at ways to decrease the runoff, like storm drain planters or something.  Clayton is heading in that direction and I hope the seminary is as well.