Construction begins on Chicago project to send Lake Michigan water to southwest suburbs
New Chicago water project aims to bring Lake Michigan water to SW suburbs
Chicago area officials marked the start of the construction of infrastructure necessary to eventually provide Lake Michigan water to about a quarter of a million residents in six southwest suburban communities.
CHICAGO - Chicago area officials marked the start of the construction of infrastructure necessary to eventually provide Lake Michigan water to about a quarter of a million residents in six southwest suburban communities.
Local and federal officials held a groundbreaking ceremony at the Southwest Pumping Station in Chicago on Monday morning.
The backstory:
The project is a partnership between the City of Chicago and the Grand Prairie Water Commission, which is made up of Joliet, Crest Hill, Channahon, Minooka, Shorewood, and Romeoville.
"Today, there is a reason to celebrate, not only for ensuring clean, safe, reliable drinking water for our communities and the region, but also the cross-jurisdictional coordination that has led us to this moment," said Shorewood Mayor Clarence "CC" DeBold, who chairs the Grand Prairie Water Commission.
The southwest suburban municipalities banded together to establish the new commission last year to purchase Lake Michigan water through the City of Chicago. They did so because their current water supply from underground aquifers is projected to be insufficient to meet current needs by the year 2030.
Construction on the project will begin at the Southwest Pumping Station at Durkin Park in the Scottsdale neighborhood. Crews will build a 4-million-gallon water storage facility and two 55-million-gallon-per-day pump stations.
Chicago area officials celebrated the start of the construction of infrastructure necessary to eventually provide Lake Michigan water to about a quarter of a million residents in six southwest suburban communities.
The project will continue with 60 miles of water transmission pipes, three pumping stations, and three water storage tanks. Construction of the stations and piping is expected to last until 2029, and the water is expected to start running in 2030, according to the commission.
The total cost is estimated to be nearly $1.5 billion.
One of the chief concerns about the project is the anticipated increase in water bills for residents in the member communities.
"Nobody wants to see their residents' water bills get absurd and triple and quadruple," DeBold said. "Is there gonna be an impact? Yes, but each municipality is managing that within their own realm."
He said on average, his residents pay about $100 a month for their water, including trash, sewer treatment fees and water consumption. With the new water system, DeBold said he hopes to keep any increase to residents' bills to no more than double.
The cities of Joliet and Chicago entered an agreement to supply water through the new system for 100 years. The new commission will be the second-largest water customer in Chicago's water system.
As part of the agreement, the agreement is expected to generate about $30 million in annual revenue for Chicago's Department of Water Management.