Water system upgrades planned in unincorporated Wildwood area near Grayslake
Water system upgrades in the unincorporated Wildwood area east of Grayslake are set to continue with federal funding secured last year.
The Lake County Board Tuesday accepted a $959,752 grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency representing 80% of the approved project cost. The county will contribute 20% or $240,000 toward the $1.2 million project.
The funding is part of the federal Consolidated Appropriations Act signed into law in March 2024 by then-President Joe Biden.
Lake County received more than $1.9 million as part of that bill for two public works projects secured by Highland Park Democrat U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider. The other was targeted to replace wastewater treatment equipment in the New Century Town facility in Vernon Hills.
In the Idlewild and Dady & Decker neighborhoods in unincorporated Grayslake, 10,000 linear feet of more than 50-year-old water main pipes that have reached the end of their service life will be replaced. Bidding and construction are anticipated in 2026.
County officials say older water main pipes can lead to more breaks and water loss and new pipes will increase reliability for years.
About 7,200 linear feet of water mains of various sizes and materials previously were replaced in various locations in the Allen Farms subdivision and Wildwood area.
The Wildwood system is the second largest of those operated by Lake County public works, providing Lake Michigan water to about 14,000 residents in unincorporated areas of Wildwood, Third Lake, Mariners Cove, Arbor Vista, Liberty Acres, the College of Lake County and various retail and commercial developments.
In related work, construction continues on the Gages Lake water tower to serve the entire Wildwood system and help meet the needs of increased water demands.
The existing John Mogg tower that serves the Wildwood system will remain in service to provide supplemental storage and pressure. The new tower will provide up to three days of emergency storage.
Currently, residents are able to use water for less than a day in the event of an emergency, such as a power outage.
Other work, including in the Wildwood area, has involved the installation of storm sewers to reduce the flood risk to more than 210 property owners and ease the volume of stormwater runoff across roads.