$90 million Joliet water main replacement project shows little impact so far

Joliet has seen little change in its rate of lost water despite spending tens of millions of dollars to replace old water mains since 2017.

The city could be facing a problem familiar to do-it-yourself plumbers: fix a leak in one place in old pipes and water pressure creates a leak somewhere else. But Joliet is bringing in consultants to see if more can be done as it continues to repair leaks in the city water system.

Joliet continues to lose nearly a third of the water it generates, and the rate has come down only slightly since the city embarked on a program to replace all mains built before 1970.

The program has included the replacement of some mains downtown dating back to the 19th Century.

The city this year will spend $85 million to replace 33 miles of water mains, the biggest year yet for a program that has been stepped up to address the demands of regulators that want Joliet to lower its rate of water loss to 10%.

The city has spent $90 million on water main replacements since 2022, the year Joliet ramped up the program to prepare for Lake Michigan water.

The entire water main replacement program is estimated to cost $594 million by 2030. That cost also reflects replacement of any lead service lines connecting the city mains to private property.

The 10% limit on water loss is set for communities that tap into Lake Michigan water, something Joliet plans to do by 2030.

Joliet’s most recent rate of water loss is 31%, Anthony Anczer, deputy director of engineering for the city’s utilities department, told a Joliet City Council committee in February.

“We obviously want to be less than that, and are working toward that,” Anczer said.

The rate of water loss was at 35% before Joliet ramped up the water main replacement program in 2022.

Utilities Director Allison Swisher told the committee that she plans to bring in consultants to advise the city on other measures that can be taken to reduce water loss.

“At this point, I don’t feel comfortable just continuing on doing what we’re currently doing because ultimately we have six years left to correct the problem,” Swisher said.

On Thursday, Swisher told the Herald-News that she remains confident that the city can hit the 10% mark despite water loss remaining stubbornly at the range of one-third of all water generated. But she wants expert consultants to take a closer look at what the city is doing.

“We want to make sure we don’t let more time pass before we look at the current program and look at other opportunities,” Swisher said.

Measuring water loss

Joliet began replacing its older water mains in 2017, but was doing so at a rate of five miles a year before expanding the program once the commitment was made to switch to Lake Michigan water.

Joliet has 685 miles of water mains.

The current program involves not only replacing water mains but replacing meters that may not register actual water used.

Water loss actually is a count of all water not paid for — not necessarily water not used. So, if faulty meters undercount actual water being used, that contributes to the city’s water loss.

The city in July will have replaced over 10,000 meters over a roughly one-year period.

The impact of the meter replacement program is not reflected in the 31% water loss rate.

Consultants being brought in will look for other breaks in the system, including shoddy set-ups to bypass city meters and leaks in service lines that could pour out large amounts of water before reaching private households.

Swisher, however, said much of the remaining loss is likely due to leaks popping up at new points in the aging system because of increased water pressure when old water mains are replaced at other points.

“We think that’s what’s happening,” she said. “That’s why we’re replacing so many miles of water mains. Based on the best information possible, that’s where the main water loss is occurring.”

The city stepped up the water main replacement program this year at the urging of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, which sets the 10% water loss cap to avoid Lake Michigan water being wasted once its pumped into local municipalities.

Joliet is not alone among older cities that lose a large percentage of its water through an aging system. But the city’s decision to switch from well water to Lake Michigan water has created a new urgency to solve the problem because of the 10% mandate.

IDNR does provide variances for communities that do not hit the 10% mark, and other municipalities are getting Lake Michigan water with loss rates higher than 10%, Swisher said.

“That’s not our intention,” she said. “We are fully committed to addressing the issue and being good stewards of Lake Michigan water.”