Some Hawthorn Woods residents face $12,000 water bills

A resident of Hawthorn Woods' Glennshire subdivision for 41 years, Carol Brett paid off her house long ago.

But now the 71-year-old woman -- like dozens of her neighbors -- faces an $11,600 bill from Lake County that she has until Friday to pay off.

The steep fees will pay for construction of a new water system for 227 homes in the subdivision, which is near Old McHenry Road and Lagoon Drive. The county is contributing $1 million toward the $3.6 million project.

The rest of the burden lies on the shoulders of residents like Brett. If they don't meet the deadline, they'll be charged $85 a month for the next 30 years - fees that will total $30,600 per home.

Brett hasn't paid the bill yet but plans to by the deadline - "under protest," she said.

"At my age, I think it would be detrimental to have this hanging over the house," Brett said. "It does stink."

A dispute over Glennshire's water system dates back decades, but the issue became critical in 2006 when residents learned 20 shallow wells needed replacement because they lacked chlorine disinfectant.

That year, the state sued the county on behalf of the homeowners. The suit sought to force the county to build a new EPA-compliant water system.

Residents later filed a class-action lawsuit against the county, saying the government should fund the entire cost of the project, now estimated at $3.6 million.

The county is willing to contribute $1 million. The lawsuit hasn't been resolved.

Construction could begin in October or early November. The job is expected to take one year to complete.

Residents initially were told they'd have to pay about $23,000 per house to fund the water system, but the recently approved construction contract was about half the cost of what county officials had predicted.

As a result, the bill to property owners was reduced by more than 50 percent.

As of Monday, only 47 of the 227 homeowners set to be connected to the new water system have met the payment deadline. Some said they simply can't afford the lump-sum fee.

"(We chose) monthly payments because we don't have too much money," resident Maria Mazurek said.

Even so, Mazurek is concerned going on the payment plan will affect her ability to sell the house in the future. Brett had a similar fear.

"If someone's going to buy a house, they can go a mile over and buy one without that hanging over it," Brett said.

Christopher Donovan, leader of a homeowners group formed over the issue, compared the county's $11,600 payment demand to a robbery. People give cash to robbers, he said, because they don't want to be shot - or, in this case, pay steep interest fees.

"Any payments made by residents are being made because if they don't do it, they will have to pay an additional $20,000 in interest," Donovan said in an e-mail. "These payments are being made under duress to say the least."

Even if they opt to pay the fee upfront, homeowners will try to get the money back through the lawsuit, Donovan said.

Resident Judy Kreines and her husband, Steve, are planning to pay the lump sum - but they're not happy about it.

"We're approaching retirement and my husband is out of work," Judy Kreines said. "In today's (economic) climate, it's totally unfair."