Oswego, Montgomery, Yorkville to pay for lake water pipeline design

Oswego, Montgomery and Yorkville are funding an engineering design project for the pipeline that will bring Lake Michigan water to the three communities.

The three municipalities are paying equal shares of $1.4 million into an escrow account for the DuPage Water Commission to use for the engineering study, which is already underway.

The $4.2 million total will pay for determining the pipeline route and location for related infrastructure, such as water reservoirs, Yorkville City Administrator Bart Olson said.

“The phase one design engineering is expected to wrap up around the end of this calendar year, giving us an idea of a couple water transmission pipe routes, early information on easements needing to be acquired and some other high level project information,” Olson said.

Each of the three municipalities paid $200,000 into the escrow account this month. A payment of $800,000 from each is due by July 21 and a final installment of $410,000 is to be paid by Sept. 30.

The aquifer that provides water for the wells serving the three communities is being depleted. All three decided to join the DuPage Water Commission to connect with Lake Michigan as their water source.

The pipeline will extend from Naperville to Oswego, then Montgomery and finally Yorkville. All of the municipalities are looking at well over $100 million in costs just to build the pipeline and associated infrastructure.

All of the municipalities are seeking to develop revenues to pay for the project.

Yorkville, for example, raised water rates last year, will impose a new tax on restaurant meals starting next year and is issuing $11 million in bonds.

Meanwhile, the city is looking into loan programs from both the state and federal governments, Olson said.