CARY – The summer drought, with its excessive heat and dry conditions, has affected just about everyone and everything in McHenry County, including farmers, livestock, air-conditioning units and residents’ electric bills.

As of July 31, the U.S. Drought Monitor has declared a severe drought for most of McHenry County and the surrounding Chicago suburbs. The lack of rain this summer also has taken its toll on the groundwater that is used to supply the plumbing lines of homes throughout the Chicago area.

Longtime Cary resident Jack Schwall has seen it all when it comes to water drilling, water levels and the seldom-seen groundwater that lurks underneath the soil in Illinois. Schwall has owned J.A. Schwall Well and Pump Services Inc. for about 25 years, after his dad started the business in 1947.