Residents unsure of Hawthorn Woods water plan

Hawthorn Woods sent Glennshire residents a new plan to fix their troubled water system, but the questions aren't all answered, say resident representatives.

The village's formal proposal, released this week, details the cost and features of a new village water system. Under the proposal, the system could cost the 224 homeowners $17,757 each, perhaps being paid by a special taxing area.

"There's definitely some attractiveness to the proposal," said Christopher Donovan, president of Citizens For Equitable Water Solutions, a homeowners group formed to address the issue. "(But) there are definitely some issues that need to be worked through."

The village proposal arose last month as a new chapter in the ongoing Glennshire issue, which sprouted last year. That's when residents served by the 20-well system learned the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency had ordered it replaced.

Lake County, which bought the wells in the 1970s, said the purchase agreement required those homeowners pay to replace the aging system. Residents chose to replace the system with another county-owned one. The county agreed to kick in $1 million out of up to $7 million in estimated costs.

But concerns surfaced with the county's proposed water storage site in a residential neighborhood.

Soon after, the village of Hawthorn Woods volunteered to get into the water business, saying it would buy water wholesale from Aqua and resell it to residents.

"The trustees spent a great deal of time examining the issues and determining what was best for everybody," Trustee Steve Riess said. "I hope that Glennshire residents will examine all of their options carefully, and the village, I'm sure, will support their decision."

The proposal says it would cost Glennshire homeowners a total of about $3.98 million to put in a village-operated system.

Village figures estimate the typical monthly charge at about $138.90. That number, according to the village, includes estimated water usage of 8,000 gallons per month and payment for the new system.

In a letter to residents, Mayor Keith Hunt proposed creating a special taxing area, commonly called an SSA, to pay for the upgrades. According to the village documents, the loan would be repaid over a 30-year period at 6 percent interest.

But Donovan said missing details -- such as whether the county will still contribute $1 million -- can't be solved by Dec. 1, the date Hawthorn Woods has requested an answer from residents.

"The Dec. 1 timeline is an unattainable timeline to be able to work through all these things," Donovan said. "The municipalities have had 30-plus years to fix this issue."