Aging system, obsolete technology have Sandwich looking to upgrade water treatment facilities

Sandwich will apply for an Illinois Environmental Protection Agency loan to help pay for improvements to its aging water system.

At the Sept. 16 Sandwich City Council meeting, the majority of members voted to approve a contract with Engineering Enterprises Inc. to prepare a funding application for the loan in an amount not to exceed $19,778.

Last December, Engineering Enterprises Vice President Steve Dennison spoke to City Council members about the improvements that need to be made to the system. He told them the city’s water treatment plant on Railroad Street, constructed in 1939, is significantly past the date of its useful life.

“This is one of the older plants I’ve seen in northeast Illinois,” he said. “The ceiling is collapsing.”

In addition, he said the plant uses obsolete technology for the aeration of the water.

“It works, but only for a period of time,” Dennison said.

The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency has recommended replacing the facility, he said. Dennison said the city’s second water treatment plant on Clark Street – which has been operational since 1993 – can be modified and expanded to accommodate the decommissioning of the Railroad Street plant.

If approved, it wouldn’t be the first DeKalb County municipality to address aging water infrastructure with loans granted through the IEPA. The city of Sycamore was granted a cumulative $11.6 million from the agency between 2020 and 2024. More than half of that – $6.8 million – has debt forgiveness, Sycamore City Manager Michael Hall has said. Sycamore used that funding to replace lead-lined water service lines on properties in the city at no cost to the property owners. The city of DeKalb also has received funding from the IEPA for lead line replacement. And in 2021, Shabbona was awarded a $1.8 million IEPA loan to replace its water treatment plant

Low water pressure on the Sandwich’s northwest side also is a concern. In addition, water mains have to be replaced.

Since 2016, the city has experienced more than 65 water main breaks, Dennison said.

Lead service pipes also need to be replaced. The city recently received a $40,000 grant to start identifying properties that have lead pipes.

The city’s two active sandstone wells also are in need of replacement because of their age. They were constructed between 1911 and 1939.

“So you have one that’s over 100 years old and one that’s approaching 100 years old,” Dennison told City Council members. “That is extremely old when it comes to wells. There’s no way around it. I don’t see wells that age very often that are still operable…As you pump wells for a long period of time, you create situations where they will fail. That will happen at some point, we just don’t know when it will happen.”

City officials also are trying to make sure the water system is keeping up with the city’s growth. Sandwich is expected to grow from its current population of about 7,200 to about 13,000 by the year 2050.

Earlier this year, the city also increased water rates to help pay for the estimated $72.6 million in improvements.