Water, Data Centers, & Building Stronger Communities
In this Issue
- Water Reclamation Center Tour & Data Centers
- Naper Settlement Golden Days & Building Community
- September Coffee and Conversation & Constituent Input
Dear Friends & Neighbors,
Happy Fall!* This season is one of my favorite times of the year in our community, with festivals, soccer games, and countless opportunities to get involved locally. This month’s newsletter highlights some of those events, plus how they link to larger issues we’re considering in the Illinois state legislature.
This Saturday’s tour of the Naperville Springbrook Water Reclamation Center, for example, offers a firsthand look at the infrastructure we rely on every day and connects directly to local and state-wide conversations about data centers, water usage, and protecting our natural resources. Meanwhile, at Naper Settlement, the Golden Days program offers a different kind of example of how legislative work helps our larger effort to build stronger, more connected communities.
My office and I try to gather and understand your feedback on topics like these by talking with and listening to you directly. I hope we can meet and chat at any of these upcoming events or elsewhere in the district. In the meantime, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us if we can be of service: info@repyangrohr.com.
Sincerely,
Janet
*While the official astronomical fall begins on September 22 when the sun sits directly above the equator, meteorological fall began on September 1. The latter is a fixed date every year and helps meteorologists compare climate data and seasonal records consistently. Image below courtesy of the National Weather Service.
Water Reclamation Center Tour & Data Centers
This Saturday, September 19, I’m teaming up with the Sierra Club River Prairie Group for a behind-the-scenes tour of the Springbrook Water Reclamation Center. This treatment facility serves Naperville and Warrenville by removing contaminants from wastewater before it’s discharged back into local waterways. The tour will be a great way to learn more about how this process helps to maintain healthy water quality, habitats, and ecosystems in the Mississippi River basin.
Water usage and quality have been key concerns in our community’s conversations around data centers. As Illinois considers what role this growing industry should play in our state, we need to make sure that economic development is balanced with protecting our water resources and other critical infrastructure (Chicago, after all, was named the most climate-change-resilient major city in the world, largely because of our abundant supply of fresh water.)
My colleagues and I will be working on these and related issues in the upcoming November and December veto sessions. In addition to data center water usage, we’re looking at legislation to protect households from the potential impact of data centers’ increased electricity demand and policies that would require data centers to bring their own sustainable power supplies.
To be part of this conversation and to learn about this crucial water infrastructure, please join us this Saturday.
What: Springbrook Water Reclamation Center Tour
When: September 19, 2026, 2:00 pm
Where: 3712 Plainfield-Naperville Rd., Naperville
Naper Settlement Golden Days & Building Community
The genesis of the Naper Settlement Golden Days program began with a challenge brought to us at one of our past Senior Advisory Panel: In a world that seems increasingly polarized, divided, and lonely, what can we do to bring people together? It’s a daunting problem, but it’s also one that I believe government and community institutions can help address.
Research from our office’s intern team has informed several initiatives we’ve pursued to strengthen community connections, including directing grants to local park districts and libraries to support our social infrastructure. The Golden Days program at Naper Settlement is another example of what that can look like in practice: creating opportunities for older adults to learn, participate, and connect with one another.
All Golden Days programs are free, and these are some of the programs coming up in September and October:
Grimm Brothers Walking Plays: Journey across the Naper Settlement grounds in this lively outdoor walking performance where Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm bring their famous tales to life.
Blanket Crochet: Get cozy while creating your own chunky knit blanket in this relaxed, hands-on workshop. Using soft, oversized yarn and simple techniques, you will craft a warm blanket to take home. All supplies are included.
Lunch and Learn: Victorian Mourning Culture: Learn about Victorian culture and their mourning rituals, including how they inspired some of the major works of horror, like Frankenstein and Dracula. Lunch is provided.
I’m proud to support efforts that recognize that a healthy community needs more than roads, buildings, and other physical infrastructure. We also need places and programs that give people reasons to get out, meet their neighbors, learn something new, and feel connected to the community around them.
September Coffee and Conversation & Constituent Input
One of the favorite parts of my job is getting to hear directly from constituents, not just about legislation, but also about what you’re seeing and experiencing in our communities. That’s why I host Coffee & Conversation each month. It’s an informal opportunity to stop by, grab a cup of coffee, and talk with me about what’s on your mind.
You don’t need to know anything about state government or follow what’s happening in Springfield to participate. If there’s something you think I should know about, I want to hear it. Our conversations often help me identify issues that deserve more attention in Springfield, and they often lead directly to legislation or other action from my office.
I hope you’ll join me for this month’s Coffee & Conversation:
What: September Coffee & Conversation
When: Wednesday, September 30, 7:00-8:00 pm
Where: 41st District Office, 475 River Bend Rd., Suite 500, Naperville
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