Chicago Construction News staff writer
The DuPage Water Commission and the WaterLink communities celebrated the groundbreaking for one of the largest municipal water infrastructure projects to be completed in Illinois in the last 30 years.
WaterLink, a 30-mile transmission main extension will deliver Lake Michigan water to the rapidly growing communities of Montgomery, Oswego and Yorkville.
“WaterLink is the result of years of negotiation, planning and trust among local governments who recognized water is a shared resource and the most responsible answer is a regional one,” said Jim Zay, chairman of the DuPage Water Commission. “By securing reliable access to clean Lake Michigan water for Montgomery, Oswego and Yorkville, we are investing in public health, economic growth and environmental resilience.”
With cost estimates nearing $400 million, the project will move all three communities off the Ironton-Galesville deep sandstone aquifer, a regional source the Illinois State Water Survey says is being withdrawn twice as fast as it is naturally replenished.
Water officials have warned that, without intervention, the aquifer will be unable to meet projected demand as early as 2050, with some Oswego wells at risk as early as 2033. Construction is scheduled for completion in 2028.
“Montgomery began reviewing options more than a decade ago because the data was clear: Our wells were not going to support the families, schools and businesses moving here,” said Matt Brolley, village president of the Village of Montgomery. “Today’s groundbreaking is proof that long range planning, regional partnership and disciplined stewardship can solve problems before they become crises.”
The 30-mile pipeline faces logistical and technical challenges including transmission mains up to 54 inches in diameter routed through heavily populated corridors, including 11 miles within existing ComEd rights-of-way. The project includes major crossings of regional highways, railroad and utility corridors, and the Fox River.
“This project shows how our communities can come together and invest in infrastructure to better serve our communities for generations to come,” says Ryan Kauffman, village president of the Village of Oswego. “Lake Michigan water gives Oswego the resilience and capacity to support our community for decades.”
