DuPage Water Commission gets more federal money for new Lake Michigan water project

The DuPage Water Commission has received another $500,000 from the federal government for a plan to build a $6 billion system to draw water from Lake Michigan.

U.S. Rep. Sean Casten presented the check during a ceremony Thursday at the commission’s office in Elmhurst.

Two weeks ago, U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi presented a $1 million check to the water commission for the Lake Michigan Regional Water Supply Initiative.

Both grants come from the federal Community Project Funding program.

The Lake Michigan Regional Water Supply Initiative will include building a raw water intake and tunnel offshore near Glencoe, a water treatment plant in Northbrook, and purified water transmission lines to connect the system to the DuPage Water Commission’s facility in Elmhurst.

Planning began in 2023. The water commission and the Northwest Suburban Municipal Joint Action Water Agency formed a partnership. The Northwest agency serves Streamwood, Schaumburg, Rolling Meadows, Elk Grove Village, Hanover Park, Hoffman Estates and Mount Prospect.

Currently, the DuPage Water Commission obtains about 26.8 billion gallons of water a year from Chicago, in a contract signed in 1984 and ending in 2041. The water is treated at the James Jardine Water Treatment Plant near Navy Pier, which is believed to be the largest water treatment plant in the world.

The water commission serves 26 towns and 12 unincorporated subdivisions in DuPage County. It is also extending water lines to Oswego, Montgomery and Yorkville.

ssarkauskas@dailyherald.com