The future of Glencoe’s water production and delivery is once again being examined with officials conceding changes are necessary within the next five years, but the potential costs are large.
The Village Board held a special workshop on April 20 to review the current water situation and examine possible steps to move forward for the village’s water needs well into the future.
“When you look at the services our village provides, few are as complex as our water system,” Village Manager Phil Kiraly said.
Kiraly noted the topic has come up at various times with prior Village Boards, but had not been discussed much since 2015. He indicated that might have to change soon.
“We are coming to the point that over the next three to five years, we are going to have to make some decisions that are substantial relative to re-investment in our water plant,” he said.
Glencoe’s water plant is located on the village’s lakeshore, slightly north of the Park Avenue street end. The plant started operating in 1928 and given its age, will require large financial investment to maintain its future, according to village documents.
In 2015, the village conducted a water supply planning report with cost estimates of upgrading the existing plant at $31 million. Information is currently being gathered on how much it will cost to rehab the plant today, officials said.
Another possibility is construction of a new water plant, where the cost projection was between $48 million to $66 million in 2015. Today, village officials caution it could be around $100 million for a new plant.
“Its scale is somewhat staggering,” Kiraly said.
At the workshop, Deputy Village Manager Nikki Larson presented trustees with several different types of financing possibilities. They included different types of bonds the village could utilize, but she pointed out there are positives and negatives in each case.
Village staff also looking outside Glencoe’s borders as a way to satisfy future water needs, mentioning the possibility of a collaboration with a neighboring community.
“We’re the only ones just supplying water for ourselves,” Public Works Director Monica Sarna said.
Staff has been begun an examination whether they would want to form a co-ownership of an existing plant with a neighboring community for long term water needs.
“The likelihood that any of them are looking for a partner is low,” Kiraly said. “The likelihood that any of them is looking for a wholesale customer is very high.”
Another option may be some type relationship with a water-related agency such as the DuPage Water Commission or the Northwest Suburban Municipal Joint Action Water Agency.
Pioneer Press reported earlier this year conversations with the DuPage Water Commission were ongoing about a future collaboration.
“Nobody has made any final decisions but these two water agencies are looking at a potential route for a pipe into Lake Michigan that would run from Glencoe under Dundee Road out west all the way to where ever they decide to put their water plant,” Village President Howard Roin said after the workshop. “The village would explore whether and how this might make sense.”
Kiraly said there is not an imminent decision on the horizon and the village wants to keep multiple options open.
“We don’t want to get so far down a single path that we can’t turn off of it if something changes,” Kiraly said.
He acknowledged there are some difficult decisions to be made.
“Our position is not great, it is difficult and it is very expensive,” he said. “Staying in the water business is going to take some time because of the scale of the investment we are talking about.”
Daniel I. Dorfman is a freelance reporter with Pioneer Press.