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Quote/Term of the Week

Water Reuse / noun

Also called water recycling or water reclamation, it’s the process of treating water from one source to use it for another purpose.

Cooling quantum

Commissioners touched on the feasibility of water reuse with the controversial $9 billion PsiQuantum project planned for the former U.S. Steel South Works site in South Chicago.

Commissioner Sharon Waller brought up the development, which was not on the agenda, while discussing the motion to renew a contract with public relations consultant, David Ormsby, Inc. 

While the contract is specifically for emergency communications, Waller said she was concerned that Ormsby Inc. doesn’t have knowledge of water reuse, which she felt would be necessary to have considering such a massive incoming development.

Waller pointed to an article from Great Lakes Now as an example of why a communications specialist with knowledge of water reuse is necessary. Citing an agency spokesperson, the article states water reuse was determined ‘unfeasible’ for Quantum PSI initial phase of construction, but “the city of Chicago has discussed plans to supply reclaimed water to the quantum campus in future developments at the former South Works site.” 

Water advocates consider water reuse a necessary aspect of the PsiQuantum project, considering that quantum technology requires a large amount of water to cool its systems. Developers have said they plan to use a closed-loop system for the quantum computer that doesn’t pull from local waterways, but advocates question what the water use plans are for the broader campus, according to the story. 

Waller claimed that the article was ‘misleading’ because it based the possibility of reusing water on extending pipes from existing water reclamation properties to the quantum campus. It also did not consider decentralized reuse, which is the process of treating wastewater closer to the source, eliminating the need for pipes to send to a larger reclamation site.

Acting Executive Director John P. Murray said there is no reason the board can't consider additional communications for water reuse down the road, and officials are  open to continuous discussion. The contract was unanimously approved for renewal.

What you can do:

Catch up on the headlines:

  • The uncertain possibilities of quantum computers | South Side Weekly

  • Obama CBA Coalition adds the $9B Illinois quantum park to its fight for environmental and housing justice | The TRiiBE

Complete survey: Southside Together is conducting a brief survey about the  plans to build the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park at the former US Steel South Works site in South Chicago. This survey is intended for residents of the 7th and 10th wards, and neighborhoods near the site, including South Chicago, South Shore, Jeffrey Manor, Calumet Heights and East Side. bit.ly/quantumfacilitysurvey

Ghost bus(ters)

The Chicago Transit Authority is working to improve communications around the city’s bus schedule. The updates come in response to ‘ghost buses,’ scheduled buses that appear on transit tracking apps but never arrive.

Chief Innovation Officer Mary Poppe said that some of the reasons for ghost buses include trip cancellations caused by CTA having to remove a bus from service, cars being parked in layover locations and bus breakdowns. The agency is working to identify and communicate the status of ghost buses via a disruption management system.

There will be more communication via CTA's Bus Tracker app and third-party apps. Rather than deleting the bus information or showing a bus that isn’t running, the new system will note that the originally scheduled bus was cancelled.

The app will also soon include real-time bus reroute information. Before, CTA would put paper flyers up at bus stops that were being rerouted as well as alerts on the bus app and website;often riders would only find this information once they already arrived at their stop, Poppe said. 

CTA piloted this feature during St. Patrick’s Day and is working to have it ready to go live for the Chicago Marathon in October, one the biggest reroute activities of the year and one of the highest ridership days, Poppe said.

What you can do:

Check out CTA transit trackers: Head to the CTA website for live tracking of buses and trains. Download the CTA bus tracker app via the App Store or Google Store.

A version of this story was first published in the August 20, 2025 issue of the Newswire, an email newsletter that is your weekly guide to Chicago government, civic action and what we can do to make our city great. You can sign up for the weekly newsletter here.

Have thoughts on what you'd like to see in this feature? Email Civic Editor Dawn Rhodes at dawn@citybureau.org.