Yorkville advances plans to bring Lake Michigan water to the community

Addressing the needs of a booming population and a depleting water source, the Yorkville City Council authorized a loan application for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to construct the infrastructure necessary to bring Lake Michigan water to Yorkville.

At the Aug. 13 City Council meeting, the $100,000 Water Infrastructure Finance Innovation Act application fee was approved to seek a loan with a maximum borrowing of $160 million for the associated projects.

In 2021, Yorkville partnered with the villages of Oswego and Montgomery, forming WaterLink, to explore water sourcing from Lake Michigan. WaterLink partnered with the DuPage Water Commission to expand its existing transmission system, with a new pipeline connecting all three communities to the water system currently in Naperville. Under the agreement, each town will pay equal costs to source the water.

According to the city’s application, the first projected rush of Lake Michigan water to Yorkville is expected by 2027-28. Before then, the city must pass a multi-year rate plan based on assumed debt levels from the construction and fluctuating future water usage levels by the community. The city expects increased water rates of more than double the current rates will be necessary to fund the project.

City Administrator Bart Olson said the WaterLink project will bring numerous benefits to the local community, the surrounding economy, and the region’s environment.

“The benefits [are] fundamental; residents need clean, sustainable water sources to live and businesses need the same to operate,” Olson said.

Olson said the project addresses critically declining water levels in the region’s main water source, the Cambrian-Ordovician Aquifer system. He said the region has consumed water for decades at unsustainable rates, especially as the region’s population increased. Several suburbs east of Yorkville transitioned away from aquifers to Lake Michigan water decades ago to address similar concerns.

Olson said Lake Michigan water is preferred, as opposed to closer regional bodies like the Fox River, because it has immense quantities of high quality, sustainable fresh water.

According to the city’s loan application, the project is expected the reduce greenhouse gas emissions, increase energy efficiency, protect human health and prevent water shortages and well inoperability.

The city estimates the project will create more than 2,000 jobs, both directly through construction and indirectly through local economic stimulus and resource reliability. The project also is seen as a way to mitigate the future negative impacts of climate change on the region’s water supply and to reduce the financial burdens of continuing to operate an aging water infrastructure.

The city highlights facility upgrades needed to enhance reliability and compliance with regulatory requirements. These include storage facilities and backup generators to provide resiliency during hazardous weather events and disruptions in Lake Michigan’s water source. Cybersecurity improvements are also sought for the Control and Data systems.

The city’s infrastructure construction will be phased in two parts.

Phase I will encompass eight projects estimated at a cost of $32.165 million. These include providing engineering solutions to the city’s current water system to meet DWC and state regulations. The WIFIA loan will cover 80% of costs with the city funding the remaining 20%.

Phase II will consist of three projects, expanding pipeline connections and transmission systems, and building a receiving station. The total cost of this phase is estimated at more than $126 million with the city paying more than $25 million directly and WIFIA loans funding the rest.

Any increases in projected costs must be approved by the City Council.