Sanitary district within its capacity, state officials say

The Wasco Sanitary District is operating within its capacity for water and sewer service, and is not in danger of being overburdened, a recent state inspection found.

The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency inspection was prompted in part by a report commissioned by the village of Campton Hills, which indicated the district had applied for and received more connection permits than it had the ability to handle.

While the inspecting findings do not contradict the report, state officials said there is no reason for the public to be alarmed. Environmental protection specialist Chris Kallis said several of the permits cited in the report were requested more than two years ago and have never been used, meaning the IEPA considers them essentially void.

"With permits more than two years old, it's assumed everything is finished," said Kallis, who took part in the inspection.

In summary, the inspection found the district, which serves about 1,000 customers in Campton Hills and unincorporated Kane County, is operating at 85 percent capacity.

Kallis said that means the taxing body has reached "critical review" status, which carries a heightened level of scrutiny for all additional permits requested from the IEPA. The designation is relatively common, Kallis said.

Campton Hills officials, who rely on the sanitary district to serve parts of the village, said they investigated the district to determine whether there's capacity for additional residential or commercial developments.

According to the IEPA, the district maintains some extra capacity but might need to expand, depending on the size of any forthcoming construction projects.