Water Sector News

The questions — the mental calculations for basic needs — are relentless. Can she go another day or two without doing laundry? Do those dishes need to be cleaned now or can they wait until tomorrow or the next day? 

Water conservation is a constant negotiation for Summer, a 58-year-old Oak Park resident. Unlike for most people, it’s also a survival strategy.

Summer said she has to be stingy with water to make her monthly budget pencil out. Water, sewer, stormwater and garbage collection are all part of the same bill. To keep it in the $120 range, she washes clothes once a week, sometimes every other week. She receives a fixed income from disability payments. With all her other bills, waste is a luxury she can’t afford.