County gets inkling of cost of Lake Michigan water

Extending Lake Michigan water to several Lake County towns is possible from a construction standpoint, but the cost would be far from a drop in the bucket.

An expert hired jointly by Lake County, Antioch, Fox Lake, Lake Villa, Lindenhurst, Old Mill Creek and Wauconda said such a project would require about 45 miles of pipe and other equipment. The estimated cost, including fees and contingencies, was more than $178 million.

Depending on financing, users could expect to pay up to $444 a year in taxes and fees -- an amount considered reasonable by some county officials.

"I'm looking at that and saying that's a pretty small price to pay to have water," said Bonnie Thomson Carter, a member of the public works and transportation committee from Ingleside.

Wednesday, the committee heard the first results in a year-long process. Individual communities, beginning with the Wauconda village board, will review the preliminary report and determine what if any next step to take.

The water likely would be supplied by the Lake County Public Water District. It has two intakes in Lake Michigan and supplies water to Zion, Winthrop Harbor and Adeline Jay Geo-Karis State Park.

Pumping it is one thing, but getting permission to use Lake Michigan water is another. Withdrawals are regulated by a U.S. Supreme Court decree and requests here are determined by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

"Every one of these communities … will have to demonstrate their need," said Peter Kolb, the county's public works director.

Well water supplies are uncertain or costly in some growing areas. The towns decided to split the cost of a study to see if Lake Michigan water was a viable alternative.

The population in the areas covered by the report is expected to nearly double from 66,442 (in 2005) to 128,781 in 2030. Average daily water demand also was expected to double to more than 12 million gallons per day.

Water becomes an issue for communities, especially in growth areas, that don't have Lake Michigan water as an uninterrupted and reliable source.

The amount of water available in shallow wells in the region is under study, but is known to be dwindling in some areas. Deep wells carry added costs to treat minerals.

"To drill, equip and treat a deep well right now is probably in excess of $2 million," said John Callan, project manager for Applied Technologies Inc., the engineering firm hired by the towns.

"There is a window of opportunity now," he added.

Now that preliminary costs have been determined, the communities must decide whether to proceed with more detailed work involving engineering, finances, government agreements, and other matters.

How or if other communities would want to get involved must be addressed.

"Now that we have something, I'm sure there will be interest from other communities," Kolb said.

All other Lake County communities will be invited to learn more about the study Sept. 18 at a previously scheduled general forum on water issues.