When presenting its five-year capital improvement plan to the Lake County Board’s Public Works, Planning, and Transportation Committee earlier this month, the Lake County department of public works outlined plans for more than 300 projects.
To keep up with planned and unplanned projects and stay current with regulatory standards, it is predicted in the capital improvement plan for the years 2023 to 2027 that an estimated $91.4 million will be required. Interim Public Works Director Austin McFarlane and staff estimate a $160 million budget gap over the following ten years.
According to McFarlane, the plan was created to ensure Lake County meets regulatory requirements, extends the useful lives of current assets, replaces aging infrastructure when necessary, and uses capacity already in place to meet future demands for transportation, stormwater management, drinking water, and wastewater.
He continued by saying that the Strategic Plan for Lake County, which aspires to “provide excellent, financially and environmentally responsive/responsible services that support a safe, affordable, healthy and resilient community,” was considered when it was written.
In 2023, the department of public works plans to spend $7.4 million on projects related to water production and storage, $4.2 million on projects related to water distribution, $3.9 million on projects related to wastewater collection, and $500,000 on projects related to other support infrastructure and equipment.
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The cost increases to an estimated $34.2 million for the fiscal year 2024, primarily because of $13.6 million in planned projects at water reclamation facilities, which were a focus this year and aren’t anticipated to need any money in the next year. In 2025, 2026, and 2027, the department anticipates spending $14.6 million, $14.6 million, and $12.6 million, respectively.
The Lake County Board granted roughly $18.6 million in American Rescue Plan Act money for seven projects in 2022, including renovations to the water systems for the Vernon Township neighborhoods of Pekara and Horatio Gardens and West Oak Middle School in Mundelein. Additionally, ARPA funding was provided for installing high-efficiency blowers, disc filters, and UV disinfection treatment in three projects at the Des Plaines River Water Reclamation Facility.
As he asked about the central water repairs planned for Wildwood in 2023, committee member John Wasik, who represents District 6—which encompasses Grayslake and portions of Round Lake Beach, Round Lake Park, and Wildwood—called the presentation “very extensive.” Any idea how much that will likely cost in general? Wasik enquired.
The project’s engineering project manager Emily Karry put the cost at around $5 million; however, presenters noted that the sums might vary before work starts. According to engineering manager Brittany Albrecht Sloan, primary water replacements along Grandwood Drive and Woodland Terrace are scheduled to take place in the Grandwood Park community of Warren Township in 2024.
She claimed that main breaks brought recent issues in Wildwood and Grandwood Park. According to pipe age and material, “in both of these neighborhoods, we’ve encountered some breaks, and that does result in service outages for our clients,” Albrecht Sloan said.
Ann Maine, a representative for District 21, which includes parts of Grayslake, Gurnee, and Riverwoods, questioned McFarlane about environmental regulators reducing the threshold for phosphorus in drinking water and whether the county was prepared to be compliant with any adjustments.
According to McFarlane, the county still has “some work to do” to lessen it if requirements tighten. The Des Plaines River Water Reclamation Facility still has a phosphorus level that may be higher than current state standards would allow. He continued with the adjustments we’ve made today, “We may have to do some more work into the upper Des Plaines River for cleanup, but we’re hopeful that the state will look that as favorable.”
However, according to McFarlane, the county has been prosperous in lowering phosphorus levels. McFarlane added that our phosphorus reduction program is an excellent example of how hard we work to be environmentally conscious. The amount of phosphate and nitrogen we discharge into the receiving stream has been reduced, a significantly higher reduction than we have seen in the previous ten years.
The public works department maintains twelve water systems, more than 290 miles of main water pipes, 25 wells, ten water reservoirs, and eight water towers. Additionally, it owns and manages five significant wastewater pump stations, seven interceptor sewers, more than 470 miles of sanitary sewage infrastructure, three wastewater facilities, and seven sewer systems.
The committee’s chair, Jennifer Clark, inquired about the potential duration of an increase in emergency water storage capacity brought on by linking the Village of Lincolnshire’s water system and Lake County’s Vernon Hills water system. Although perhaps not enough power for a 24-hour shutdown, McFarlane said he felt confident there would be adequate capacity in the case of an emergency stoppage for repairs.
McFarlane declared, “We surely can’t stop there.” “Not only is our infrastructure getting older, but so is CLCJAWA’s infrastructure. As a result, we constantly need to find ways to increase storage, not only in Vernon Hills but throughout all of our water systems.”
Clark responded, “I’m delighted to hear we’ll have additional storage.
