Irrigation and aquifer management in Illinois

The ground-water resources in eastern Kankakee and northern Iroquois Counties, Illinois, have been used for irrigation for over 50 years. During the drought of 1988, 131 irrigation wells irrigated 12, 143 acres and withdrew an estimated 5.6 billion gallons of ground water. Over 120 domestic wells were reported to have water-supply interruptions. Interruptions of domestic supplies have been reported with increasing frequency during the 1980's. A regional assessment of the ground-water resources was also completed in 1988, identifying areas of both significant and negligible seasonal water-level declines. The magnitude of these declines can be attributed more to differing hydrogeologic conditions than to pumpage. Proper management of the resource will require incorporation of the variable sustained yield of the aquifer into the decision making process.