News and Updates

29 Nov 24

From the Board of Trustees

November 29, 2024

To our neighbors,

The water upgrade project has had a long and difficult path. Now, 7 years later, we have determined that the project costs have risen so high that we can no longer justify it as currently defined. We have been investigating alternatives to bring the cost down while providing improved water quality.

To keep the project moving forward, the board recently approved a water rate increase required by the USDA for the $5.04 million loan, while waiting to receive quotes from other companies to hopefully provide systems at a substantially lower cost. We’re pleased to report that these quotes have significantly reduced the treatment plant cost by approximately $1.8 million!

As a result of the lower costs, the board has voted to rescind the rate increase (previously set to take effect January 1, 2025) and terminate the USDA loan project. We are now finalizing new treatment plant plans and will begin work as soon as possible. We will also be contacting the State of Illinois to secure funding for the additional well, which is a requirement from the EPA.

The new water tower, initially part of the USDA loan, was removed due to cost overruns. We plan to have the current tower inspected and have been in contact with a company to investigate issues with the air pressure system. Once resolved, this should improve hydrant flushing. We also plan to install a backup generator for the entire water system.

We anticipate there will need to be an adjustment to the water rates in the coming year, but it will be much more reasonable while ensuring that the water system can be maintained going forward.

Below is a sample of what average water rates would have been had we not taken the latest actions. We will publish a more complete accounting of the project history with milestones that led us to where we are today, soon.