Long Grove split on lake water vote
Long Grove residents could vote as soon as November on bringing Lake Michigan water to town.
However, there's some dissent on the village board, which met on Tuesday, about putting the question to a referendum vote as early as November.
The board has been looking at joining a Lake County consortium that is working to bring lake water to towns that are on well systems. Antioch, Fox Lake, Lake Villa, Lindenhurst, Old Mill Creek, Wauconda, Fox Lake Hills and Lake County hired Applied Technologies to conduct a feasibility study.
The water itself will likely not come to the towns for another seven to eight years.
Each town individually will have to present its case to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources for tapping into the limited supply of water that can legally be drawn from the lake, but the group together has been researching the prospect together.
"We think there's a window of opportunity," said John Callan, vice president of Applied Technologies. "We think that the time is right."
It would cost Long Grove $24,900 to apply for a Lake Michigan water allocation and Callan said the group has estimated a $500 a year cost for each home wanting lake water.
However, that estimate is based on water usage, a connection fee and a special service area assessment based on a $300,000 home. Since homes in Long Grove are priced higher than that, the board estimates the price to connect to water will also be much higher.
Plus, Long Grove would have to pay for the infrastructure to get water to the homes in town, which could be a cost in the millions.
Trustee Ed Acuna said that if other towns get off their well systems, that will bode well for Long Grove since its supply will likely not dry up for many years.
However, "I still think it makes sense to go through and get that allocation," he said, if not for anything other than to have more information on the costs.
The board agreed but could not reach a consensus on when to put the issue on the ballot.
Village President Maria Rodriguez said if the numbers are all available by August, the residents should vote on whether or not they want Lake Michigan water by November.
However, Trustee Charlie Wachs said there's no rush to go to a vote.
The board agreed to vote on the $24,900 application for an allocation at its next meeting in two weeks.
It will also discuss asking its engineering group to study how much money it would take to put water lines through Long Grove so that residents can have a clear picture of the actual cost of switching to lake water before any action is taken.