February 23, 2025
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Near-century old water main slated for replacement in $4.5M Yorkville construction project

The question of funding the project’s total costs is last major detail to hammer-out

By Joey Weslo
Brad Sanderson is the president and CEO of Engineering Enterprises, Inc. of Sugar Grove, which will perform preliminary engineering work to bring Lake Michigan water to Yorkville. (Mark Foster -- mfoster@shawmedia.com)

City Engineer Brad Sanderson is the president and CEO of Engineering Enterprises, Inc. of Sugar Grove, which is tasked to perform preliminary engineering work to bring Lake Michigan water to Yorkville. Sanderson recently discussed how replacing the city's ancient water main infrastructure will help the city meet the requirements for the Lake Michigan water project.

Yorkville is replacing around 9,000 feet of water main under the city, including one section that is so old it dates back to the Hoover administration.

Replacing underground infrastructure can be pricey for municipalities, so they often delay replacing aging utilities until they receive the opportunity to share the cost burdens with state funding.

For the 2025 Water Main Replacement construction project, the current project tab is just over $4.5 million. The vast majority of the project will most likely be covered by an Illinois Environmental Protection Agency loan.

Besides replacing the water main infrastructure and engineering, the project will also involve upgrading sidewalk and roadway-related work.

The $4.7 million 2025 Water Main Replacement Program in Yorkville will be funded mostly by a state loan. Pictured, the existing water mains in the downtown area that are highlighted blue are slated for replacement.

The $4.7 million 2025 Water Main Replacement Program in Yorkville will be funded mostly by a state loan. Pictured, the existing water mains in the downtown area that are highlighted blue are slated for replacement. (Photo provided by The City of Yorkville)

City engineer Brad Sanderson said during the Feb 18 Public Works committee that improving water-related infrastructure throughout the city is necessary for the $100.2 million Lake Michigan water sourcing project. The improvements will ensure any new incoming water is not lost through inefficiencies like water leaks and broken meters.

“This is to replace about 9,000 feet of water main,” Sanderson said during the meeting. “The IDNR is looking for the city to get below 10% of water loss before we connect down to Lake Michigan. The city has ramped up its water main replacement program for several years, and this being another year of that.”

The city has already applied for a loan for the project with the IEPA for $4,236,000, with a likely 1.9% interest rate.

This will leave the city a little short of the total cost of the entire project. At the upcoming City Council meeting on Feb. 25, the city aldermen will vote on a notice of intent of future approval for a construction bid for the water main project. The bid is for $4,775,774 from the Naperville-based company Winninger Excavating, Inc.

Full approval of the bid is contingent on the IEPA approving Yorkville’s loan application.

To cover the project’s full costs, the city can then either attempt to re-negotiate with the IEPA to increase the loan amount, or they can cover the costs or scale down the total project.

None of the projected water main construction is expected to go under Route 47, so traffic along that route should not be impacted from the construction.

City officials currently expect the IEPA loan to be approved and the final project and bid approval to come back before City Council within the next couple months.