- Home
- Government
- Departments
- Public Works
- Services
- Environmental
Environmental
The Lombard Environment
The Village of Lombard’s Public Works and Environmental Concerns Committee is a working group that suggests and monitors environmental programs, contracts and regulations to provide direction to Village staff and recommendations to the Board of Trustees. Call or email the Public Works Department at (630) 620-5740 if you have questions or suggestions.
The Village’s Environmental Concerns Committee developed the Sustainability Framework to comprehensively identify programs, accomplishments and goals in the areas of Air, Greenhouse Gasses, Water, Transportation, Land Use, Waste Diversion and Energy Use. The Village will engage residents, businesses and organizations to make continual progress in the effort to be a sustainable community.
The Village has committed to the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus’ Greenest Region Compact 2. Participating communities in Northeastern Illinois meet regularly to coordinate sustainability programs in the areas of climate, economic development, energy, land, leadership, mobility, municipal operations, sustainable communities, waste & recycling, and water. The goal is to make ours the greenest region in the United States.
Please view Lombard's Climate Action Plan for more information.
Please select a tab below to see specific information
The Village contracts with Clarke Mosquito Control to treat standing waters and catch basins for Culex Pipien mosquitoes, which can carry West Nile Virus. On occasion, the Village will also authorize a truck spraying. Truck spraying is generally not as effective as larviciding which is why the Village chooses to keep truck spraying to a minimum.
The Village of Lombard’s mosquito abatement program with Clarke Mosquito Control includes the standard treatment all of standing waters with larvicide, but the Village also goes beyond many other municipalities by also treating backyard (i.e. private) catch basins. It is important to note that there are many species of mosquitoes that impact the Lombard area. Our larvicide program is focused on targeting Culex Pipiens mosquitoes, which are larger in size than average mosquitoes, and may carry West Nile Virus as larva. These mosquitoes breed in warm, nutrient-rich standing water over 7 days.
The smaller and more common mosquito is the Aedes Vexans, or “floodwater mosquito”. These insects are the usual culprits of backyard annoyance, but they do not carry West Nile Virus. Their life cycle is different than the Culex, only requiring a 3 day incubation period and small amounts of water, allowing them to breed in damp grass. These mosquitoes increase in number with frequent and heavy rains. In order to control this population the Village would have to spray pesticides every 3 days, at a cost to residents of $12,300 per Village-wide spray. Since spraying is only useful for short-term control and even less so for backyard areas, the Village suggests that residents may opt to purchase a can of yard spray at a hardware store for a weekend’s worth of benefit, such as for a barbeque.
Although the mosquito species that transmit Zika, dengue and chikungunya viruses are rare to nonexistent in northern Illinois, health authorities have issued advisories for travel and person-to-person infection. See https://www.dupagehealth.org/243/Personal-Protection-Index for the latest information.
Helpful Bite Prevention Tips
- Contact Clarke's hotline at 1-800-942-2555 or www.clarkeportal.com/hotline to report standing/stagnant water.
- Change water in bird baths every other day and eliminate water from flower pots, gutters, toys and pool covers.
- Keep informed by the DuPage County Health Department at https://www.dupagehealth.org/243/Personal-Protection-Index
- Wear repellent after dusk.
- Inform the Village at (630) 620-5740 if you have a private catch basin. The Village will have it added to the list for larviciding briquettes.
- Minimize time spent outdoors at dawn, dusk and in the early evening, when mosquitoes are the most active.
- Wear light colored, long sleeved shirts and long pants when outdoors.
- Apply DEET-based insect repellents sparingly to exposed skin and clothing. Repellents may irritate eyes/mouths, so avoid applying to the hands of children.
- Make sure that doors and windows have tight fitting screens.
- Remove containers that may hold water to eliminate standing water which serves as a breeding ground for mosquitoes, i.e., discarded tires, cans, ceramic pots.
- Keep weeds and grass cut short since adult mosquitoes look for shady places to rest during the hot daylight hours.
- Change water in bird baths at least once per week.
- Drain water from pool covers, and keep pools and hot tubs chlorinated and clean.
- Keep gutters clean.
Eco-Friendly Mosquito Larvicide
Starting in 2014, Lombard is now part of the new EarthRight sustainability program offered by Clarke that uses a naturally-derived, EPA-registered larvicide as well as application by technicians on bicycles. See Clarke’s video and website for more information.
- Make use of natural light and use compact fluorescent bulbs
- Look for ENERGY STAR labels on appliances
- Do a free home energy audit and save thousands of dollars over the life of your home. The Energy Impact Illinois program is an alliance of government, utilities and non-profit groups and funded through the “Energy Efficiency Programs” line item on your utility bills. More information is at www.energyimpactillinois.org and 1-855-9-IMPACT. The nonprofit program manager for Lombard is www.elevateenergy.org.
- ComEd’s Hourly Pricing Program allows residents the option of paying the variable hourly rate (based on consumer demand) rather than the flat rate. This can save significantly by using electricity in off-peak times, such as weekends and nights.
- Check out Cool DuPage for ideas for your home and workplace, and sign up to be part of this growing coalition that is seeking to reduce our county's carbon footprint for greenhouse gasses.
Keep your energy bills down with a quick at home energy audit
As temperatures begin to dip, energy costs can begin to rise. Help keep your energy use down by performing a quick energy audit on your home to help identify areas of energy conservation improvement. What kind of problems should you look for? Start with the most obvious flaws in the home.
- Air Leaks: Air leaks will cost you when it comes to both heating and cooling. Check windows, doors, electrical outlets, attic hatches, air conditioners, and baseboards, for leaks. If you can see sunlight around a window, there is a leak. Caulk in whatever gaps you can.
- Insulation: If your home is inadequately insulated, you could lose a lot of heat through the walls and ceiling, which results in excessive energy required for artificial heating in winter.
- By the same token, your home may get very hot in summer, requiring mechanical cooling measures, which consume high levels of electricity.
- Check the attic, and if possible also the exterior walls to determine if your home is sufficiently insulated. While inspecting the attic, also check for air leaks that may need to be caulked or weather stripped.
- Lighting: Check the wattage of the bulbs at use in your home. If they are of high wattage (such as 100 watts), they can be replaced with lower wattage bulbs.
- Softer light will suffice in areas where you relax, while you may need stronger light for study areas.
- Fluorescent bulbs help save energy in places where you spend most of your time and in areas where lights are kept on for hours at a time.
- Heating/Cooling: Check and clean the filters of your furnace every month. A professional cleaner should be called annually.
- If your equipment is older than fifteen years, a newer model is likely to provide greater efficiency, and decrease energy consumption.
- A short term investment could lead to long term returns as newer models are far more energy efficient than older versions. Also check the ducts of heating and cooling units for leaks.
Twice a year Department staff organizes a trails cleanup during which volunteers pick-up accumulated trash and remove invasive plant species from the Illinois Prairie Path, Great Western Trail and area parks.