Central Lake County Joint Action Water Agency
Encyclopedia
Public utility
A public utility is an organization that maintains the infrastructure for a public service . Public utilities are subject to forms of public control and regulation ranging from local community-based groups to state-wide government monopolies...
that provides drinking water
Drinking water
Drinking water or potable water is water pure enough to be consumed or used with low risk of immediate or long term harm. In most developed countries, the water supplied to households, commerce and industry is all of drinking water standard, even though only a very small proportion is actually...
to 185,000 people in Central Lake County
Lake County, Illinois
Lake County is a county in the northeastern corner of the state of Illinois, on the shore of Lake Michigan. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 703,462, which is an increase of 9.2% from 644,356 in 2000. Its county seat is Waukegan. The county is part of the Chicago metropolitan area...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. CLCJAWA's Paul M. Neal Water Treatment facility began producing drinking water in 1992. Prior to that time, each village it serves obtained their drinking water from wells or by purchasing it from other Lake Michigan water supplies.
Member communities
CLCJAWA provides water to the following villages: Lake BluffLake Bluff, Illinois
Lake Bluff is a village in Lake County, Illinois. It is the closest moderate-sized town near the Great Lakes Navy Base and is North of Lake Forest. The population is 6,056 according to the 2000 census. The town has a police department and volunteer fire department.-History:In 1836, John and...
, Libertyville
Libertyville, Illinois
Libertyville is an affluent northern suburb of Chicago in Lake County, Illinois, United States. It is located west of Lake Michigan on the Des Plaines River. The 2000 census population was 20,742; the 2005 estimate was 21,760...
, Vernon Hills
Vernon Hills, Illinois
Vernon Hills is a village in Lake County, Illinois, United States. The population was 20,120 at the 2000 census, and estimated to be 23,957 as of 2005...
, Mundelein
Mundelein, Illinois
Mundelein is a village in Lake County, Illinois, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the village population was 31,064.-History:The community now known as Mundelein has been inhabited since at least 1650, when the Potowatami Indians were known to have been trading with French fur traders....
, Grayslake
Grayslake, Illinois
Grayslake is a village in Lake County in the U.S. state of Illinois. It is located in the Chicago metropolitan area, about north of Chicago’s downtown, west of Lake Michigan, and south of the Wisconsin border....
, Round Lake
Round Lake, Illinois
Round Lake is a village in Lake County, Illinois.- Geography :Round Lake is located at .According to the Lake County GIS Mapping Application , the village has a total area of 14.69 square kilometers .-Major Streets:* * Belvidere Road* Big Hollow Road/Round Lake Road/Railroad Avenue/Main...
, Round Lake Park
Round Lake Park, Illinois
Round Lake Park is a village in Lake County, Illinois, United States. The population was 6,038 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Round Lake Park is located at ....
, Round Lake Beach
Round Lake Beach, Illinois
Round Lake Beach is a village in Lake County, Illinois, United States. The population was 25,859 at the 2000 census, and estimated to be 28,253 as of 2005.-Geography:Round Lake Beach is a mid-size town located at ....
, Wildwood, Knollwood
Knollwood, Illinois
Knollwood is an unincorporated census-designated place in Lake County, Illinois. It is located within Shields Township and Libertyville Township. Knollwood shares a postal code with neighboring village Lake Bluff. Knollwood residents are served by Lake Bluff School District 65, Lake Bluff Park...
/Roundout, and Gurnee
Gurnee, Illinois
Gurnee is a village in Lake County, Illinois, United States. The population was 28,834 at the 2000 census, and estimated to be 30,772 in 2005. The village borders the city of Waukegan and is considered a part of the Chicago metropolitan area. Gurnee is perhaps best known for being the location of...
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Water treatment process
CLCJAWA draws water from Lake MichiganLake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third largest by surface area, after Lake Superior and Lake Huron...
and purifies
Water purification
Water purification is the process of removing undesirable chemicals, materials, and biological contaminants from contaminated water. The goal is to produce water fit for a specific purpose...
it with several water treatment
Water treatment
Water treatment describes those processes used to make water more acceptable for a desired end-use. These can include use as drinking water, industrial processes, medical and many other uses. The goal of all water treatment process is to remove existing contaminants in the water, or reduce the...
processes including ozone
Ozone
Ozone , or trioxygen, is a triatomic molecule, consisting of three oxygen atoms. It is an allotrope of oxygen that is much less stable than the diatomic allotrope...
, coagulation, flocculation
Flocculation
Flocculation, in the field of chemistry, is a process wherein colloids come out of suspension in the form of floc or flakes by the addition of a clarifying agent. The action differs from precipitation in that, prior to flocculation, colloids are merely suspended in a liquid and not actually...
, activated carbon
Activated carbon
Activated carbon, also called activated charcoal, activated coal or carbo activatus, is a form of carbon that has been processed to make it extremely porous and thus to have a very large surface area available for adsorption or chemical reactions.The word activated in the name is sometimes replaced...
filtration
Filtration
Filtration is commonly the mechanical or physical operation which is used for the separation of solids from fluids by interposing a medium through which only the fluid can pass...
, ultraviolet light
Ultraviolet germicidal irradiation
Ultraviolet germicidal irradiation is a sterilization method that uses ultraviolet light at sufficiently short wavelength to kill microorganisms. It is used in a variety of applications, such as food, air and water purification. UV has been a known mutagen at the cellular level for more than...
and chlorination
Chlorination
Chlorination is the process of adding the element chlorine to water as a method of water purification to make it fit for human consumption as drinking water...
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Awards and recognition
CLCJAWA was the third water treatment plant in the United States to win the Partnership for Safe Water "Excellence in Drinking Water" Phase IV award and the first conventional water treatment plant to achieve this status.The Partnership for Safe Drinking Water Program was created by the American Water Works AssociationAmerican Water Works Association
American Water Works Association was established as an international non-profit professional organization dedicated to the improvement of water quality and supply. Founded in 1881, it claims a membership of around 56,000 members worldwide as of 2010.AWWA has become the largest organization of...
, United States Environmental Protection Agency
United States Environmental Protection Agency
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is an agency of the federal government of the United States charged with protecting human health and the environment, by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress...
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CLCJAWA has also received numerous awards from the Government Finance Officers Association. These awards include the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award and the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting.