Chicago area restaurants commended for participation in Chicago Tap Project during World Water Week

ChICAGO - Leading up to World Water Day, Illinois EPA Director Doug Scott commended hundreds of Chicagoland area restaurants, which are participating in the week-long UNICEF Tap Project, a program started last year to bring attention to one of the most urgent health crises facing the planet today - clean drinking water - and to help supply drinking water to parts of the world where clean, safe water is a rare commodity. 

 

During the week, which began Saturday, March 16, nearly 200 city and suburban restaurants and bars are taking part in the nationwide Project to bring awareness to the worldwide water crisis.  Ending on Saturday, March 22 - World Water Day - participating Chicago restaurants are inviting patrons to donate $1 for tap water usually enjoyed for free.

 For every dollar raised, a child will have clean drinking water for 40 days. 

 

"Lake Michigan is one of the greatest sources fresh water on the planet.  Unlike other parts of the world where clean, safe water is a rare commodity, here in Chicago and throughout Illinois, we are privileged to have access to safe water every day," said Director Scott.  "Some of the best things we can do for future generations are to further protect and restore the country's fresh waterways, continue to make sure the water flowing through our rivers and lakes and into our taps is clean and safe, and continue to urge people to become educated about the scarcity of water through projects like the Chicago Tap Project.  The participating restaurants have gone a step above and are to be congratulated."

 

According to a National Resources Defense Council study, Chicago is home to some of the best tap water on the planet.  It is also home to hundreds of world-renowned restaurants, some of which are offering Chicago foodies a simple and effective way to make a difference in a child's life. Some of Chicago's most notable chefs - including Rick Tramonto, Carrie Nahabedian, Bruce Sherman, Sarah Stegner, George Bumbaris and Paul Virant - and their restaurants lent their support to make Chicago's Tap Project a success.

 

"Restaurants are called on weekly to participate in charitable events and the sizeable list of Tap Project participants once again demonstrates the restaurant industry's tradition of giving back," said Sheila O'Grady, President of the Illinois Restaurant Association (IRA).  "The IRA supports the mission of UNICEF's Tap Project with Copperblue, Hackney's Printers' Row and Va Pensiero as just a few of our member restaurants involved in this important humanitarian project."

 

More than 1 billion people lack access to safe drinking water sources and more than 5,000 children die each day due to dehydration and other water-related illnesses. 

 

"Here in Illinois we are fortunate to have an adequate supply of safe drinking water in to meet the needs of our population, and when more than 11 million Illinois residents turn on the tap, they can be assured their water meets the federal health standards," said Director Scott.

 

The most recent annual Compliance Report for the more than 6,000 public water supplies in the state showed that 99.9 percent of the population served by these systems received water that met all acute standards set by the federal government.

 

More than 1,700 of the largest community water systems are subject to extensive monitoring and reporting requirements under the oversight of the Illinois EPA for a variety of potential contaminants. Illinois EPA will also oversee additional federal requirements over the next few years, including new limits on disinfection byproducts and other potential contaminants in source water, which can either be from lakes or rivers, or from groundwater wells. 

In addition, although there are no applicable federal standards, Illinois recently expanded monitoring for pharmaceuticals in Illinois waterways after trace amounts were found in sampling done in other states by the Associated Press.  Illinois EPA has also implemented a recent pilot project with local governments to collect more unused medications for safe disposal.

 

Illinois citizens can access data on their own community water system online by going to the Illinois EPA website (www.epa.state.il.us) and then clicking on the "Environmental Facts Online" button on the right side of the home page.  "Drinking Water Watch" provides extensive data on sampling results and any potential exceedances of health standards, and additional information is available through the online Safe Drinking Water Information System.  The website also provides information on obtaining the annual Consumer Confidence Reports required by the supplies.

 

The Agency's continued commitment to clean water is also demonstrated through its low-interest revolving loan program through which  the Illinois EPA has provided more than $400 million in financing to help community water supplies upgrade and expand their treatment plants and systems, such as those systems impacted by naturally-occurring radium in their source water, and replacing or expanding water mains and storage facilities.

 

For a complete list of restaurants participating in UNICEF's Chicago Tap Project, visit www.tapproject.org/chicago.