Connecting water towers to save towns millions

Carpentersville and West Dundee officials are exploring a new concept that could save both villages millions of dollars and provide a much-needed backup system for each town's water supply.

Officials are working on an intergovernmental agreement for an interconnection between the village's water storage tanks on Randall Road. Carpentersville's water supply is north of Binnie Road, while West Dundee's is south of Binnie.

The connection will cost each town $130,000.

West Dundee Public Works Director Richard Babica said interconnects are one of the best ways for towns to ensure water supplies are not interrupted during emergencies or repairs.

"If our tower is being inspected, repainted or repaired, we can't use it as a reservoir for public safety," Babica said. "Having an interconnect means we always have one tower capable of handling a public safety event like a large fire."

In addition, Carpentersville Public Works Director Bob Cole said, it would save each village at least $3 million in constructing a new water tower to serve as a backup.

"Municipalities are like farmers," Cole said. "To cut expenses, farmers started sharing things like combines and corn pickers. This is a means of saving money for the residents and is a perfect example of working together."

By drawing water from its neighbors, Carpentersville would eliminate the reliance on backup generators if power to the main supply tank is cut off. Under the current system, the water supply would be ground to a halt if emergency generators fail to pump water from the booster station to the elevated storage tank when water levels dip below a certain level, Cole said.

A control system between the two waterworks will ensure that both towns are accountable for their water and that they replace what they use from the other town.

Cole said Carpentersville is holding off on repainting the Randall Road storage tank until the interconnect is complete.

"We know it looks bad," Cole said. "But this will be worth the wait. To paint the tower we either need to build a new one or modify the control systems so pumps run all day to provide pressure but no storage. That's not efficient. Or we do this interconnect."