Frequently Asked Questions

• What can I do in my home to conserve more water?
• What can I do outside to help conserve water?
• What can I do at home to conserve more energy?
• What is the Village doing to conserve energy and/or water?

Q: What can I do in my home to conserve more water?

• Turn off the water when you are not using it, i.e. when brushing your teeth, shaving, washing your hands, shampooing your hair, etc.
• When using water in the kitchen, don’t run the dishwasher when it is not full. Consider hand washing small batches of dishes. Instead of running water to rinse, fill a clean basin with water and dip the dishes to rinse them off. The same can be done when washing vegetables and fruit.
• Use energy star appliances that use less water, i.e. washing machine and dishwasher.
• Adjust the water level in your washing machine to the appropriate level.
• Adjust the water level in the tank of your toilet by placing a brick or other solid object that does not impede the operations of the toilet. The object will displace water so that it does not require as much to flush.
• Reduce the length of your showers. Consider placing a bucket in the shower. Let the bucket fill up with water while you are waiting for the temperature to rise. You can then use this bucket of water to water plants in and outside of the house.

Q: What can I do outside to help conserve water?

• Put irrigation on a timer.
• Water during the early morning or late evening hours when less is lost to evaporation.
• Water only when plants truly need it.
• Reduce the amount of mowed turf on your property. Plant more native plants, trees and shrubs on your property. Once established they rarely need irrigation.
• Don’t use water to clean your garage. Broom out the dust and debris and follow up with a bucket of water.
• Take your car to a car wash - one that treats and recycles their water.
• Use a rain barrel to catch rain water running from your roof. You can use that water to water plants around your home.

Q: What can I do at home to conserve more energy?

• Buy energy star appliances. They are more energy efficient.
• Conduct an energy audit of your home. Seal leaks and gaps with caulk. In the winter - keep the hot air in and the cold air out. In the summer – keep the hot air out and the cold air in!
• Use a thermostat that resets the temperature when the home is not occupied.
• Put exterior lights on timers.
• Replace traditional light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs.
• Reduce the temperature on your water heater to the heat level you need.
• Shut off lights when you leave a room.
• Put appliances and electronics on surge protectors. Shut the protector off when the appliance is not in use. Appliances and electronics continue to draw power even when they are turned off.

Q: What is the Village doing to conserve energy and/or water?
A: Lincolnshire is continually looking for ways to improve its environmental stewardship and has plans to implement a vast number of other environmental initiatives over the next few years. Following is a brief list of some of the Village’s recent accomplishments.

• 20% Bio Diesel Fuel - all diesel vehicles or motors owned by the Village operate on 20% bio diesel fuel. This is a significantly higher percentage than required. In addition, several Village vehicles have catalytic mufflers or have been retrofitted with catalytic mufflers. Generators for four of the eight pumping stations use natural gas and the older generators (4) use 20% bio diesel. As the generators are replaced they will be upgraded to more environmentally friendly options.
  
  All Village vehicles meet or exceed clean air standards. Newest vehicles are equipped with diesel emissions reduction factory equipment.

• Waste and Recycling - The Village contracts for individual residential collection with one waste hauler. This reduces the number of waste hauling trucks on Village streets and allows for coordination of services. Residents are required to use recycling toter carts which has resulted in a 33% increase in recyclables collected. The Village publishes annually a waste hauler information packet and periodic articles in the Village Newsletter which promote the three “R’s” – reuse, reduce and recycle.

• Development Requirements - The Village requires developers to naturalize any detention facilities and encourages use of open naturalized drainage swales, extended buffers, protection of trees and natural areas and use of native plants. In addition, the Village utilizes a special zoning designation – R2A – for residential developments that contain environmentally sensitive sites. This zoning allows the developer to construct smaller lots to shift development away from wetlands, floodplains, woodlands and other areas worthy of preservation. Following are examples of only a few of the many recent developments:

  • River and Stream Protection - the Village has a strong interest in protecting the waterways of the region. As such it is a leader in various watershed protection groups including the Upper Des Plaines River Ecosystem Partnership, the Watershed Management Board, the North Branch of the Chicago River Watershed Ecosystem Partnership, the Indian Creek Stakeholders and the Community Rating System Program (Class 5 Rating).
    
    The Village has undertaken restoration and repair work along its streambanks, lake shore and river channels over the past few years.
    • Spring Lake was enlarged and the shore line was resloped and planted with native plants;
    • the North Branch of the West Fork of the Chicago River channel was cut back to allow overflow into the wetlands, banks resloped, invasives removed and planted with native plants;
    • the Des Plaines River channel was bioengineered with wattles and root wads, resloped, invasives removed, wetland installed, and planted with native plants;
    • Lincolnshire Creek was resloped, toe reinforced, invasives removed and native plants installed.
    • Approximately 11,200 linear feet of restoration and stabilization has taken place along Spring Lake, the Des Plaines River, the North Branch of the Chicago River, and Lincolnshire Creek in the past six years.
      
      

• Protection of Open Space - The Village acquired approximately 110 acres of open space along the North Branch of the Chicago River. This property has been protected, enhanced and restored to its native function. The property has been dedicated as Illinois Nature Preserves and is managed to encourage biological diversity.
  
  Not only does this property function for native habitat but it is the headwaters to the North Branch of the Chicago River. Water quality has been a significant focus and surrounding development has been controlled to protect the water quality. The property’s location along the Illinois Tollway, and its management to preserve, protect and enhance the woodland forest provides for improved air quality.
  
  The North Park recreation facility, Meadows of Birch Lake Subdivision and the Old Mill Development, adjoining the Nature Preserve were designed with open drainage swales, naturalized detention, naturalized buffers and stormwater treatment trains to protect the natural features of the Nature Preserve and the water quality of the river.
  
  In addition, the Village owns an additional 25 acres of open space along the Des Plaines River which has been restored and managed for native biological diversity.

• Environmental Education - the Village regularly publishes articles in the Village Newsletter and special mailings, educating its residents on environmental issues. This would include the importance of native plants; use of rain gardens; reduce, reuse and recycle; the watershed, etc.
  
  A brochure has been produced and interpretive signs installed along the Village waterways explaining the significance of the residential and commercial impacts to the watershed, drainage, water quality, erosion, etc.
  
  The Village also partners with the local school district in providing an environmental education program for the 1600 children in the district. Children are bussed to Village maintained open space and the Rivershire Park Nature Center where school staff provide curriculum for hands on opportunities to study water quality, native plants, ecosystems, erosion, root systems of native plants, etc. As an example, the fifth grade students act as "consultants" for the Village. They take water samples, evaluate the physical traits of the North Branch of the Chicago River, and study the characteristics of a healthy aquatic habitat. They then present their results and recommendations in a formal presentation to the Village. In addition, the school children paint stormsewer grates stating "Water Goes To River".

• Trees - The Village of Lincolnshire has one of the most restrictive tree removal policies in the region. All removals over six inches in diameter have to be permitted by the Village. No removal permit will be issued for healthy trees unless there is an approved building permit. As a deterrent, land owners who wish to remove trees over six inches in diameter, which are part of a building permit, are required to pay $150 per diameter inch unless the tree is a high quality tree (as listed in the Village Code) and then they must pay $200 per diameter inch for removal. Money paid goes to the tree bank where it is used to plant trees throughout the Village.
  
  In addition, approximately $30,000 per year is set aside for tree planting and more than 700 trees are pruned annually. The Village has been a recipient of the Tree City Award and the Growth Award for many years.

• Path Systems - The village has been actively installing pedestrian and bicycle paths throughout the Village. These paths tie into regional path systems as well as connecting residential neighborhoods. Approximately $1 million dollars has been spent within the past few years and an additional $1.2 million is proposed within the next two budget cycles.

• Lighting -The Village is pursuing other means for lighting its streets and intersections but has replaced incandescent bulbs with fluorescent bulbs in Village structures. At the North Park Sports Facility (25 acres) - lighting is carefully controlled to light only the portion(s) of the park that is being used and all lights at this facility are computerized to go on and off for a specifically scheduled event or activity.

• Community Rating System - The CRS program is voluntary and is centered on flood reduction and water quality protection. The Village has a class rating of 5 and as part of its rating criteria, has provided education to residents on the significance of the floodplain, reducing stormwater and erosion, protecting water quality and improving habitat in its watersheds. There are only thirty-seven communities nationwide which have achieved a class 5 or better.

• Maintenance of Village streets is a priority. The Village has a street sweeping policy which requires that the Village streets be swept at least monthly beginning in March through the end of September. In October the streets are swept weekly until the first week of December as part of the Villages municipal maintenance program. In addition to streets, stormwater structures and catch basins are inspected seasonally, and any foreign materials removed or vactored.

• Road Salts - the Village uses alternative options to road salt and has been successful in reducing the amount of salt on Village streets with the incorporation of agricultural byproducts. Road salt is limited or excluded from areas in the Village which are adjacent to natural areas such as Florsheim Nature Preserve and Rivershire Park.

• The Village contracts for water quality testing to track chemicals and pollutants which may be entering the Chicago and Des Plaines Rivers at North Park, the West Fork of the North Branch of the Chicago River, Spring Lake and the Spring Lake stormwater outfall.

• The Village is an active participant in the Solid Waste Agency of Lake County. As such, the Village provides staff for the Household Chemical Waste collection events, has held electronics collection events, and supports the agency as an active participant.

• The Village voluntarily imposes watering restrictions during the summer months to conserve water by limiting outside irrigation throughout the Village.

• The Village has developed an Open Space Management Plan and encourages participation of staff in maintenance and care of environmental issues. To support the protection of our natural resources, the Village has adopted the Chicago Wilderness Biodiversity Recovery Plan, the North Branch of the Chicago River Watershed Plan, and the Indian Creek Watershed Plan.

• Geographic Information System - The Village has developed a Geographic Information System which staff utilizes to identify woodlands, wetlands, floodplains and other environmentally sensitive lands. This information is used as a development and management tool.

• Memberships and Partnerships - the Village recognized the importance of collaboration and partnership to the success of environmental protection and is an active participant in the following organizations:

  • The Upper Des Plaines River Ecosystem Partnership
  • The North Branch of the Chicago River Ecosystem Partnership
  • The Community Rating System
  • The Indian Creek Watershed Stakeholders
  • Watershed Management Board
  • Chicago Wilderness
  • The Solid Waste Agency of Lake County
  • Lake County Stormwater Management Commission’s Municipal Advisory Committee
  • Geographic Information System Consortium
    
    

• The Village is continuing a multi-year program to televise and inspect the sanitary sewer system. Problem areas are being corrected and there is a reduction of inflow and infiltration of stormwater into the system. This has resulted in reduced energy usage at the pumping stations and greater capacity for the sanitary sewer mains.

• In recognition of the continuing problems with Dutch Elm Disease, Gypsy Moth and Emerald Ash Borer, the Village has set aside additional funds to plant smaller trees throughout the Village in anticipation of attrition.

• The Village of Lincolnshire was awarded the Conservation and Native Landscaping Award from the USEPA and Chicago Wilderness for its restoration and protection efforts along the North Branch of the Chicago River. In addition, the Village was recognized as the first ever, Community of the Year, by the Lake County Stormwater Management Commission for its contribution to protecting its watersheds.

• The Village is a member of Clean Air Counts and is currently working to achieve a silver level.

• The Village is a member of the Metropolitan Mayor Caucus on Green Initiatives – working with other communities in the region to reduce adverse environmental impacts.