ESG & Investing
Chicago’s $1 Billion Water Deal Shows Great Lakes Wealth
- Region provides 80% of North America’s fresh surface water
- Illinois has a blueprint to grow the $17 billion water economy
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As American states such as California grapple with harsher and more frequent droughts, the US Midwest is touting its ample water supplies to spur economic growth.
Chicago has just signed a contract valued at $1 billion to sell its water elsewhere — the first such deal in 40 years — and the city expects more to come. Illinois is also launching a federally-funded plan to expand its $17 billion “Blue Economy” to lure companies from water-intensive chip manufacturers to climate-tech startups.