Hawthorn Woods filters its water plan

Hawthorn Woods residents served by the troubled Glennshire water system have spoken and again said they want the county to own and operate the replacement.

Peter Kolb, public works director for Lake County, said 150 homeowners responded to a survey about the water system they want to replace their 20 wells.

Kolb said 128 want a county-owned system using water supplied by private provider, Aqua Illinois.

"I think it's a strong consensus how we need to move forward," said Lake County Board member Pam Newton, who represents the area that includes Glennshire. "It's a no-brainer."

In 2006, 224 homeowners learned the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency had ordered the water system replaced after repeated violations.

The county, which owns the system, said the purchase agreement signed in the 1970s requires homeowners to pay for the new system, which could cost $6 million or more to install.

The new plan saves residents about $10,000 per home, said Christopher Donovan, president of Citizens for Equitable Water Solutions, a homeowners' group formed to address the Glennshire issue.

"Hopefully, we'll able to get moving forward on this pretty soon," Donovan said.

Kolb said the next step is to contact the attorney general, update residents on the project and talk to the village to request its cooperation.

Hawthorn Woods Mayor Keith Hunt said the village has been participating in moving the project forward and will continue to do so.

"I don't think it'll be a problem with the village," said Hunt, who noted the village had first advanced the idea of the county buying water from Aqua. "We've been working cooperatively with the county for many months now."

The village had also floated a plan to provide water from Aqua, an idea homeowners initially appeared to like.

"The village option had some benefits to it," Donovan said. However, he noted that "without any sort of contractual protection" against the village selling the system, residents worried they could be left in the lurch.

Of the respondents to the most recent county survey, 18 voted for the village option and four voted for the original county plan. That plan did not include buying water from Aqua, but instead required the county to drill its own, new wells.

"I think the citizens will be very well-served (by the new solution)," Newton said. "I really think it is a best of both worlds."