Yorkville plans new water well on high school property

YORKVILLE – With the city of Yorkville working to bring Lake Michigan water to the community via a pipeline, why is it also making plans to drill a new well on the Yorkville High School property?

The answer is twofold, City Engineer Brad Sanderson said.

The city likely will not make its lake connection through the DuPage Water Commission until at least 2028, but Yorkville’s continued population growth is creating increased demand for water right now.

Moreover, even when the city taps into the lake, it will be required by the DWC, the state of Illinois and the city of Chicago to maintain adequate water sources of its own in case of a disruption.

The plan is to drill a 1,400-foot-deep well on the high school property and construct a water main leading to the city water treatment plant on Tower Lane at a cost of $3.5 million.

The city is asking Yorkville School District Y115 for a 6.5-acre long-term easement on the far west side of the school property.

Sanderson presented the city’s plans to the Yorkville school board on Sept. 11 and board members indicated support.

The project would include the well, an above-ground well head, electrical equipment and fencing.

Currently, the city has four active wells and three water treatment facilities, Public Works Director Eric Dhuse said.

Sanderson and Dhuse said the city selected the site because of its remote location southwest of the high school’s baseball and softball fields.

A 12-inch “raw water” main would run east from the well site to Game Farm Road, where it will take a short jog to the south before turning east again and cross under the roadway.

From there, the water main would continue east, passing between Yorkville Academy and Yorkville Grade School before reaching Tower Lane.

The main would then run north to the treatment plant, its location easily identified by the water tower that looms over the central part of the city.

The project schedule calls for work on the new well to get underway this December, Sanderson said.

Work on the water main would start after school lets out in the spring, with completion expected in August, he said.

Before work starts, the city and the school district will need to approve an intergovernmental agreement.

The money for the project is included in the current fiscal year budget, city Finance Director Rob Fredrickson said.