Eira Corral Sepúlveda, Democratic candidate for Metropolitan Water Reclamation District commissioner

Candidate profile

Eira Corral Sepúlveda

Political/civic background: I have ten years of experience in municipal government as Clerk for the Village of Hanover Park. Good governance, transparency, and active community engagement with residents and businesses are the highlights of my public service. As a three term elected board member, my leadership has strengthened Hanover Park’s legacy in environmentalism as a Tree City USA and through Arbor Day initiatives that emphasize diversity, inclusion and global impact.

I was elected at 23 as Village Clerk for Hanover Park, but even before being elected I have been active in identifying diverse candidates in Hanover Park. I lead efforts to elect the first African American male trustee, the first Muslim trustee, and the first Latina and formerly undocumented youth trustee, the latter two being millennial women. Additionally, in the last ten years, I have helped to elect diverse and key democrat leaders: now Senator Tammy Duckworth to Congress, Raja Krishnamoorthi to Congress, Cristina Castro as State Senator, and recently I am very proud to have helped elect Kevin Morrison who is the first openly gay Commissioner in Cook County.

Previously, I worked as Media Relations and Field Coordinator for the United States Hispanic Leadership Institute (USHLI), a national organization focused on civic engagement and leadership development. My efforts with USHLI engaged leaders as high school & college students, professionals and elected officials throughout the country. I was also a part of engaging youth leaders to register over 20,000 voters before the historic the 2008 election of President Obama.

Currently, I am a board member of the Greater Elgin Family Care Center and also appointed to the Illinois Census Commission, which has lead me engage with Hard To Count Communities throughout the region. I have served in regional municipal government organizations: Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) Human Relations Committee, Metro Mayors Conference (MMC) Diversity Taskforce, and the Northwest Municipal Conference.

My community involvement throughout the region focuses on inclusive community development and civic engagement with the following organizations: Latino Policy Forum, Habitat for Humanity, Illinois Latino Legislative Caucus Foundation, Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, Northwest Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Rainbow PUSH, Hanover Park Cultural Inclusion & Diversity Committee, and the Hanover Park Sister Cities Committee.

Occupation: On my third term as Elected Village Clerk of Hanover Park

Education: DePaul University Bachelor of Arts. Double Major: Latino & Latin American Studies and Political Science; Double Minor: Community Service Studies and Commercial Spanish.

Campaign website: Eira4Water.Com

Facebook: facebook.com/Eira4Water/

Twitter: @Eira4Water

Instagram: @eira.corral.sepulveda/

The Chicago Sun-Times Editorial Board sent candidates for the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District a list of questions to find out their views on a range of important issues. Eira Corral Sepúlveda submitted the following responses:

What new strategies would you develop to reduce the impact of stormwater on our area’s sewage, flood control and water systems?

MWRD has had a role in stormwater management for only 15 years. As we move forward in reducing the impact of stormwater on our area’s sewage, flood control and water systems, it is of course important to focus on maintaining, replacing, or retrofitting a dilapidated water infrastructure through grey and green investments. I also support the following:

1. Investing in IOT, or artificial intelligence technology, that allows us to communicate smarter within the district, but also with other agencies, and the public. This will also allow us to communicate in real time with the public about flood concerns and water quality conditions after storms. A great example of the importance of sharing real time data with constituents is the Sierra Club’s partnership with the non-profit organization in launching H2NOW. This is a pilot program which will monitor microbial pollution and report the safety of interacting with the waterways, in real time via their mobile phones, to recreational users interested in.

2. Develop a statewide water management plan for all of our water assets, interagency data collection, data sharing, research, watershed planning, development decisions, capital improvements of identified collaborative cost effective infrastructure projects, waterway plans, and strategies to protect our waterways from invasive species. Our water resource management is currently fragmented. I will also advocate for the state to play a larger role in building collaborative partnerships with stakeholders and regional partners in all impacted watersheds impacted by the District.

3. I will push for environmental justice to be a top priority by increasing the implementation of green infrastructure. Climate disruption is causing more severe and frequent storm events, increasing flooding and contributing to the degradation of our rivers and streams. Low income communities and historically disinvested black and brown communities with outdated infrastructure are particularly vulnerable to flooding and basement back-ups. These communities are also less equipped to prevent and recover from storm events, therefore bearing the greatest burden of the deficiencies in our stormwater management system. Green infrastructure, which includes permeable pavement, rain gardens, and other techniques also provides an opportunity to engage today’s youth and build a pipeline for the future workforce in green job training.

What role should the MWRD play in addressing climate change?

Climate change is affecting the region NOW and MWRD must be at the forefront in working with our business community, County, State, and Federal leaders to address the challenges caused by Climate Change.

1. MWRD must lead in addressing the increased flooding in the region caused by Climate change. It must be a vocal advocate in supporting policies that promote a green economy and provide capital investments to green infrastructure. Green infrastructure should be a part of all new development and a significant part of all redevelopment opportunities.

2. MWRD must lead in counteracting Climate Change by establishing practices in our own operations that promote energy efficiency and sustainability. Having a robust control of Phosphorus is a part of preparing for climate change and I think there should be additional efforts to control nitrogen discharges as part of the District’s long-term Nutrient reduction plan.

In absence of environmental leadership by the Trump administration MWRD must lead to ensure that we counteract this administration’s degradation of environmental protection measures.

The MWRD is the second largest landowner in Cook County. What is the ideal disposition of property owned by the district that is not needed for direct corporate purposes?

As the second largest landowner in Cook County MWRD must prioritize conservation, habitat restoration, stormwater capture, and recreational use in it’s land management decisions. I am open to the use of MWRD land to support clean job hubs and green stormwater infrastructure. And I support collaborating with agencies in the strategic establishment of a habitat buffer along riverbanks, to support habitat restoration, and community-driven uses for MWRD property. I also support collaborative efforts with community based organizations that engage our residents in land use planning decisions. It is important to emphasize the need to create trust and equity in distributing resources to underserved and divested communities in this engagement process. While I am not opposed, I am hesitant to fully support land use for development, as we do not yet know the full impact the future of climate change has in store for our region. Any considerations must be carefully analyzed, as maintaining land assets under our control may be more advantageous to long term planning.

What should the MWRD’s role be in reducing combined sewer overflows?

Combined sewer overflows release dangerous substances into the water and threaten the health of our waterway’s ecosystems and create hazardous conditions for recreational water uses. One of the greatest roles that we can play as commissioners is to be present in advocating in different spaces. I will prioritize working with state and local government because MWRD’s mission to protect our waterways is so interconnected with that of several agencies throughout the state.

Our infrastructure is in dire condition and it has earned a C- in the American Society for Civil Engineers Infrastructure Report Card. State capital dollars must prioritize funding to be allocated to secondary and tertiary wastewater treatment, combined sewer overflow reduction, and conveyance system repair to eliminate sanitary sewer overflows. The District has to work to expand partnerships with local units of government to add capacity to the sewer system improvements. These investments can be costly for small municipalities and greater attention needs to be placed to providing support for funding opportunities. Awareness and education is needed on programs provided by IL EPA Wastewater/Stormwater Loans program through the State Revolving Fund (SRF) and the US EPA and the US EPA Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF). I will advocate for the state to increase funding to the State Revolving Loan Fund and that low-interest loans continue to be funded with an additional focus on economically challenged communities. I will continuously advocate for the state to fulfill the recommended funding level recommendation of $6.5 billion by 2036 to reach the public health goals of the Clean Water Act.

The district must move towards the elimination of combined sewer overflows (CSOs) through time by implementing grey and green infrastructure investments. The completion of the Tunnel and Reservoir Plan (TARP) in 2029 coupled with nature based solutions will eliminate CSOs, except in severe weather storms. While we have the technology to reduce the combined sewer overflows after storms, what we need is greater public awareness, engagement and trust, especially from disenfranchised communities. Below are some actions that I will push forward as MWRD Commissioner:

1. MWRD can collaborate with community based organizations to build understanding, trust and resident investment in pushing forward successful environmental justice efforts. These partnerships do not need to be limited to traditionally environmentally engaged organizations, and can also include service based organizations and workforce training organizations. We are in a historical moment of change with climate change and the advent of clean and green technology. Adapting to our coming future will require and inclusive workforce of hard-working men and women with the right skills. With the support of Chicago labor, we can make sure jobs at MWRD are safe, that we promote and provide career opportunities for work and union membership to members of underrepresented communities, and that we do this while maintaining a financially stable reclamation district that can provide clean water for generations to come.

2. It is necessary to create awareness on the benefits of using nature based solutions to reduce the flow of rain water from entering local sewer systems during heavy storms. Native deep rooted vegetation landscaping, rain barrels, green roofs, bioswales, impervious pavement, rain gardens and other green infrastructure technology will allow for the MWRD’s grey infrastructure to have greater capacity to manage stormwater. Investment in green infrastructure will allow for us to counteract past development in our urban region that is not being addressed by the MWRD’s current Watershed Management Ordinance.

3. A consumer awareness campaign to encourage the reduction of water consumption during storms will reduce the likelihood of combined sewer overflows. MWRD can expand on marketing efforts of the Friends of the Chicago Rivers’ Overflow Action Alerts and provide the information to residents via multiple platforms easy access of real-time information.

How do you see the role of wastewater treatment agencies changing over the next 10 years?

MWRD is a leader regionally and nationally in modeling the role wastewater treatment agencies will play in the future. In my first six year term as commissioner I will focus on the following priorities for the next decade:

1. Collaboration with other agencies and stakeholders to push for comprehensive water resource management plan. To meet green and grey infrastructural needs, wastewater treatment agencies will need to advocate for increased funding from the State and Federal governments for green and grey infrastructure. Only $175 million out of $45 BILLION in the Capital Bill were allocated for water infrastructure. Leveraging a united voice will allow for us to create influence. Technology infrastructure, such as artificial intelligence, will support data sharing and performance based decision making in protecting the integrity of our aquatic systems, protecting our neighborhoods by reducing flood risks, and conserving a shared regional water supply. As a municipal elected leader in Hanover Park, I have worked with our neighbors to pursue common goals from State government.

2. The MWRD and other wastewater agencies are bearing the brunt of Climate patterns that bring us harsher periods of rain and drought. As a mother of young children and a millenial, I feel deeply that mitigating the impact of climate change and racial inequity are the biggest challenges passed onto us from our elders. A focus on environmental justice is more than a political gimmick, it is a strategy for regional environmental and economic sustainability as we seek to build resilience against Climate Change. Equity in allocating resources for infrastructure and workforce resources to disproportionately disinvested communities must be a driving force in the next decade. We are a people with deep water roots from our indigenous communities, to settlers (colonizers), to the Black migration North, to the multigenerational influx of ethnic immigrants. Our water is our history, our water is our future. Inclusion of our diverse populations has been the highlight of my leadership growth from community activist to elected leadership. I have engaged historically disenfranchised populations in creating representation in government of Latinos, Asians, Blacks, and LGBTQ community. I have done this not only by using my bilingual skills in Spanish but also by emphasizing multilingual access to government. Additionally, I have also engaged in culturally relevant programming in government. More specifically, I have done this with an environmental lense and strengthened Hanover Park’s legacy in environmentalism as a Tree City USA and Arbor Day initiatives that emphasize diversity inclusion and global impact.

3. In the next decade MWRD can be a catalyst that transforms the awakening of the public’s consciousness as consumers to policies that influence consumer behaviors to reduce contaminants in our waterways such as plastics and pharmaceuticals. Plastic litter is increasing and permanent, 92% of the plastic that has ever been produced still exists in some form. Fragmented plastics from macrolitter is problematic, especially after it is ingested by aquatic life. We need to continue to push community engagement and educational outreach. Pharmaceutical contamination is also pervasive and dangerous for aquatic life and human public health. I will push for the MWRD to develop a campaign that creates education on disposing of pharmaceuticals, but also works collaboratively with stakeholders to use technology in creating public accessibility and awareness of “MedDrop” locations.

The MWRD is part of a multi-agency group exploring ways to keep chlorides out of waterways. Is the MWRD doing enough to push this issue forward? Please explain.

MWRD made some progress in meeting the Illinois EPA’s (ILEPA) request to coordinate the Chicago Area Waterways Chlorides Initiative Work Group. Several meetings and presentations were held in 2015 through 2016. But, it is not yet meeting the statewide chloride water quality standards of 500 milligrams per liter (mg/L) that went into effect on July 1, 2018. Rather, it submitted a joint petition for a 15 year Chloride Variance to the Illinois Pollution Control Board (IPCB), shortly after the new standards were established in 2015.

Previously, the Chicago Area Waterway System (CAWS) and Lower Des Plaines River were not classified as “general use” waterways and were not required to meet the statewide general use water standard for chlorides. At times the Chloride levels have reached 1,000 mg/L, more than double the statewide standard. Chloride contamination of surface water is toxic to aquatic life and can disrupt the ecosystems of our inland waterways. The MWRD faces two challenges in meeting the new standards. 1) Public safety in our harsh winter weather demands deicing and melting snow from roadways, parking lots and sidewalks. Most available and effective products have some formulation of chloride. 2) Once chloride is dissolved in the water, there is no water treatment process that can remove it.

While the MWRD does not have a jurisdiction to control the source of chloride based deicing, working with the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), municipalities, businesses and residents presents the most viable strategy to reduce the levels of Chloride. As a municipal elected leader I will pursue collaborative goals by modeling some of the strategies that have been implemented in my hometown of Hanover Park. For example, we have implemented the use of beet juice and brine to pretreat roads before a winter storm. We were also at the forefront of using carbide sectional cutting edges for our plows to better clear uneven surfaces and avoid unnecessary road salting. I also believe that the MWRD Chloride Variance should include an educational and public outreach component, which is currently not being considered.

Do you support installing disinfection technology at Stickney, the world’s largest wastewater treatment plant? Please explain.

Yes, the MWRD should move towards installing disinfection technology at Stickney in Cicero, however, cost feasibility remains a hurdle. The effluent, water discharged after sewer treatment, has a high amount of bacteria and without disinfection residents can become sick after making water contact, especially during recreational activities.

Under previous leadership, the district spent millions of dollars resisting the efforts to install disinfection ringing bells of concern over the cost. But after Obama Administration’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) mandated the implementation at the O’Brian plant in Skokie and the Calumet Plant in Chicago. The new administration has proudly claimed to have made it possible at a lower cost than it had been predicted. I would like to review some of the lessons learned through this implementation to determine what, if any, strategies can be used in the Stickney plant. However, the cost may differ greatly since the Stickney Plant treats 1,200 Million Gallons Daily (MGD) versus the Calumet Plant that treats 354 MGD.

While the EPA made a determination that the disinfection in Stickney was not mandated priority due to the lower recreational activity in the industrialized Sanitary and Ship Canal, community organizations such as the Friends of the River and Ixchel, a recently established Cicero and Latinx focused environmental group, hold strong concerns and do support disinfection. I would like to pursue the opportunity to maximize our community building with these organizations to target environmental justice by implementing green infrastructure opportunities that will improve water quality by reducing runoff that burdens the MWRD sewer system and drive Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs) that dump tainted water into the river. The continued investment grey infrastructure, such as the municipal sewer system updates and the MWRD’s Deep Tunnel, will also continue to reduce CSOs. In lieu of immediate plans to implement disinfection technology, this will also serve to improve the water quality.

How would you improve the phosphorus-removal efforts now underway at the MWRD? Do you think this important? Why or why not?

It is important because nutrient pollution from excess phosphorus and nitrogen is harming water quality and wildlife in not only in our waterways, but also downstream throughout Illinois and the Gulf of Mexico. Phosphorus feeds algae blooms that choke off the oxygen supply and create dead zones.

I will continue to support the districts efforts to meet Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy calls for 45% reductions in the amount of nitrogen and phosphorus leaving the state. This can be achieved by preventing nutrient polluters from entering the waterways through improved wastewater management and nature-based stormwater infrastructure. I will advocate for a Cook County ban on retail sales of phosphorus-containing lawn fertilizer, naturally our soils have phosphorus and this creates unnecessary opportunities for water runoff to become further contaminated.

I would like to explore the expansion of the removal of nitrogen and phosphorus and improve the marketing strategy of the product: Crystal Green as fertilizer. Better marketing is also needed to increase public awareness on the role of consumer behavior and encourage residents to make better choices by checking the labels of commonly used products for phosphorus, phosphate, sulfates, and nitrogen. While not specific to phosphorus removal, I also see an opportunity to simultaneously improve marketing and public awareness of the contamination of our waterways from pharmaceuticals.

What is the appropriate role of the MWRD in addressing the problem of Asian carp and other invasive species in Chicago area waterways?

We do not have a conclusive fix to eliminate Asian Carp, but we can implement a combination of strategies. MWRD can play a key role by prioritizing the removal of phosphorus from wastewater to avoid algae blooms that can serve as a food source for the Asian Carp. But, this is not enough as the Asian Carp has an adaptable diet . The MWRD can also play a lead role in supporting a collaborative effort between other agencies and the business community to protect preventing the Asian Carp from advancing into Lake Michigan. While I do support the Army Corps of Engineers plan to use the installation of an electric barrier and other structural control measures at the Brandon Road Lock and Dam to reduce the risk of Asian carp moving through the lock, once elected, I would like to review the MWRD’s objections to this plan further.

What historical figure from Illinois, other than Abraham Lincoln (because everybody’s big on Abe), do you most admire or draw inspiration from? Please explain.

I draw inspiration from Dr. Juan Andrade Jr. He is not only notable in Illinois, but is also a binational leader in the US and Mexico. Originally from Brownwood, Texas, he has received numerous awards, including the Presidential Citizens Medal from President Bill Clinton, for distinguished service and lifetime achievement. As a boy he sold newspapers and worked in restaurants washing dishes, pots and pans. As a farm worker he picked cotton and hoed weeds in cabbage, watermelon, cantaloupe, peanut and cotton fields. As a high school and college student he worked in factories and meatpacking plants. Today, he is the President of the Chicago based organization the United States Hispanic Leadership Institute (USHLI). The organization has registered 2.2 million voters, published 425 studies on Latino demographics. And has also trained over 400,000 present/future leaders, awarded over $1.2 million in scholarships and internships, and sponsors the largest Latino leadership conference in the nation, which takes place in Chicago. Thousands of Chicagoland students and professionals have attended this conference over the decades.

It is through his leadership that I established a foundation in community activism, civic engagement, and understanding that representation in the Latino community was critical. As a freshman college student I joined the USHLI internship to be a community outreach coordinator for the 4th Congressional District. Not only did I take a metra train, a blue line train, and a bus ride to travel to the 4th Congressional District Office in Pilsen from my hometown of Hanover Park, I also successfully registered 1,000 voters.

I pushed myself to stay true to my commitment to the excellence of leadership demanded by Dr. Andrade under one of the most difficult moments of my life in navigating teenage pregnancy. I continued to grow within the organization through several other internship opportunities and ultimately starting my first job after college as Media Relations and Field Coordinator for the United States Hispanic Leadership Institute (USHLI).

Working with Dr. Andrade introduced me to a world of Latino professionals and elected officials throughout the country in a way that allowed me to believe that I was capable of running for office and getting elected Village Clerk of Hanover Parks as a single mom at the age of 23. I am also not the only leader in Illinois that has been expired to excel as a Latinx leader, he has been a mentor to many including Alderman to the 22nd ward Michael Rodriguez, Deputy Director of Legislative Counsel and Governmental Affairs for Mayor Lori Lightfoot Manuel Perez, Vice President of Institutional Effectiveness for City Colleges of Chicago Eduardo Garza, Senior Planner with CMAP Ricardo Lopez and Jose Torrez of the 14th Ward IPO. Dr. Andrade continues to inspire me today as I seek to be elected as the first Latina to the MWRD.

What’s your favorite TV, streaming or web-based show of all time. Why?

My fave web series binge has been Chicago’s very own “Brujos”. It is a show that weaves Latinx, queer culture, comedy, the supernatural, and decolonization politics. The artistry of the filming also makes a beautiful use of Chicago spaces. But also, I have a 3-year-old and I am rediscovering my love for rhyme and adventure through Dora the Explorer.