Mount Prospect assumes some of former sanitary district's assets

When Gov. Bruce Rauner signed a bill last year that dissolved the Prospect Heights-based Old Town Sanitary District, he left Mount Prospect with assets village officials still aren't entirely sure what to make of.

On Tuesday, village board members discussed the implications of the sanitary district's demise and how to address portions of its former service area now under Mount Prospect's jurisdiction.

At the time of its dissolution, most of the sanitary district was in Prospect Heights, but smaller areas exist in Mount Prospect, Arlington Heights and Wheeling.

Mount Prospect Public Works Director Sean Dorsey said the village staff has inspected the sewer main and manholes serving areas within the village and everything appears to be in good condition and not in need of immediate repairs.

One concern, however, is that a portion for the former district within the village - near Camp Mcdonald and Rand roads - is serviced by a pipe that travels through and is maintained by Prospect Heights.

"Access to this entire route is pretty limited," Dorsey said. "We have some concern about the downstream discharge."

The village staff is looking into the possibility of disconnecting those properties from the former Old Town system and connecting it to nearby village-owned systems, at a cost of $105,000.

Asked by Trustee Paul Hoefert if Mount Prospect would be on the hook financially for a pipe failure in Prospect Heights that affects village residents, Dorsey replied, "That's an unresolved issue."

"The way that we are progressing at the present time is that every community is just going to take care of the assets that fall within their boundary," he added.