October 10, 2024
Dear editor;
When I moved to Kane County in 1965, the Fox River and many nearby creeks were so polluted, we were cautioned not to eat the fish. After significant efforts clean up water pollution, starting in the 1970s, the Fox River is much cleaner now.
Few resources are as primary to our survival as clean water. One of the most cost-effective methods of protecting our water resources and drinking water is by preserving and restoring the lands along our creeks, streams, and rivers. Protecting watershed lands now is much cheaper than cleaning up polluted water later. To work towards this, our forest preserve district has done a wonderful job in creating connected greenways along our rivers and streams.
November 5, the Forest Preserve District of Kane County is giving voters a chance to support a referendum to continue improving the quality of water and our drinking water.
New homes, driveways, roads and parking lots, create more impervious surfaces and the pollutants that come with it. This means that, as we grow, we can expect to see increases in storm water runoff. Preserving open space for the future allows the storm water to soak into the ground and be cleaned naturally.
We need to remember that forest preserves not only provide recreational opportunities, they help ensure a clean water supply and control the effects of storm water runoff.
Supporting this referendum will cost about $3 a month for a home valued at $300,000. That’s a small price to pay to preserve, protect, and maintain open space in Kane County.
Additionally, this referendum comes at a time when homeowners will soon see a reduction in their Forest Preserve tax when a debt is retired. That will lower that $300,000 home’s Forest Preserve tax by $47 a year by 2027.
Please join me November 5 and vote “yes” to help our Forest Preserve District acquire more critical open space in Kane County and help keep our water clean.
Mary Ochsenschlager, Sugar Grove