Design & Construction

Switching the region’s water supply from groundwater wells to Lake Michigan is an exciting opportunity and large undertaking. The solution requires purchasing treated water from the City of Chicago and pumping it more than 35 miles to the southwest suburbs and an additional 30 miles for delivery to the delivery points of all participating municipalities.

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While the infrastructure improvements are complex, the solution has already been evaluated and put in motion. A team of experts led by Stantec Consulting Services, Inc. (engineering, legal, financial, land acquisition and public outreach) are currently under contract and performing final design of the proposed improvements. Total Commission costs for implementation of the Alternative Water Source Program are expected to be nearly $1.45 billion by its completion in 2030. Information on the funding strategy can be found here.

The conceptual location of the proposed facilities is shown in the exhibit below.