Raja Kickstarts Lake Michigan Federal Project Targeting Microplastics 

India-West News Desk

ELMHURST, IL –Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi has secured $1 million in federal funding for the first stage of a major Lake Michigan water project expected to improve drinking-water reliability for as many as 2 million people across Northeastern Illinois.

Krishnamoorthi announced the Community Project Funding Aug. 24 alongside the DuPage Water Commission for the Lake Michigan Regional Water Supply Initiative, a planned $3 billion undertaking that is expected to take about 15 years to design and build.

The initiative will create a new Lake Michigan raw-water intake and regional treatment plant, along with tunnels, pipelines and pumping stations serving communities in Cook and DuPage counties.

The federal money will be used for geotechnical work to prepare an engineering report for finished-water tunnels. Those tunnels will eventually help move treated Lake Michigan water to communities across the region.

The larger project is also intended to replace aging water infrastructure and address contaminants in drinking water. The planned treatment plant will be designed to treat microplastics, PFAS and other emerging contaminants, while the broader system will help reduce risks associated with lead entering the water supply.

“Every family deserves to know that when they turn on the faucet, the water coming out is safe to drink,” Krishnamoorthi said. He said the project would provide Lake Michigan drinking water to communities while helping protect Illinois residents from contaminants including microplastics and PFAS.

The congressman has separately been pressing the federal government to gather more information on microplastics in drinking water. In July, Krishnamoorthi joined Rep. Janelle Bynum and Sens. Jeff Merkley and Cory Booker in leading a bipartisan, bicameral letter, signed by 53 additional lawmakers, urging the Environmental Protection Agency to begin nationwide monitoring of microplastics.

The lawmakers called on the EPA to include microplastics in its Sixth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule. They said monitoring would help measure Americans’ exposure, inform possible future protections under the Safe Drinking Water Act and address emerging research into potential health effects.

Officials said the initiative is expected to provide a more dependable regional water supply while supporting future growth and business investment. The project is also expected to create significant union employment as the infrastructure is designed and built.