www.illinoisepi.

org
CLEAN WATER INFRASTRUCTURE BENEFITS ILLINOIS
High Productivity of Illinois Clean Water WORKS for Illinois
Workers on Clean Water Projects A Healthy Economy
Who Wins? $163 GDP Per Hour on Metropolitan Water Reclamation Benefit
District and the City of Chicago in 2014
Clean Water Projects in Illinois Win: More middle-class
$10.44
7% employment opportunities Regional GDP Impact +$1.87 Billion

$44.38 Total Jobs Created or Saved +19,400 Jobs

27% Win: Increased
$55.74
34% environmental quality Regional Unemployment Rate -0.73 Percent

$52.36
and business efficiency In the Chicago area, clean water investments:
32% Boost the regional economy by nearly $2 billion.
Rest of the Economy Save or create nearly 20,000 jobs, including about
Contractor Profit and Capital Investment Win: Ripple effect on all 11,000 direct jobs in construction and water facilities.
White Collar Employees sectors of the economy Lower the unemployment rate by 0.7 percentage points.
Blue Collar Construction Workers

Sources: A Flowing Economy: How Clean Water Infrastructure Investments Support Good Jobs in Chicago and in Illinois by the Illinois Economic Policy Institute and the University of Illinois, Available at www.illinoisepi.org.

Opportunities for Future Investment in Illinois

1. Nutrient removal 4. Removal of outdated dams
2. Green infrastructure projects 5. Invasive species control
3. Reducing combined sewer overflows (CSOs) 6. The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI)