Mount Prospect pondering change in backup water supply

If Mount Prospect's regular water supply shuts down, the village has a backup system of five wells that can amply fill resident's needs.

But a consultant told village leaders Tuesday that water quality issues and long-term costs should lead them to connect instead with the Northwest Water Commission as a source for emergency backup water, a move that could cost Mount Prospect $3.7 million to $5.4 million.

The commission already supplies Lake Michigan water drawn by Evanston to the Palatine, Arlington Heights, Buffalo Grove and Wheeling, as well as a portion of Des Plaines.

Mount Prospect's village-owned system receives Lake Michigan water through another consortium, the Northwest Suburban Municipal Joint Action Water Agency.

Consultant Randall Patchett made the case for using the Northwest Water Commission as a backup for both water quality and cost reasons. The village's existing backup system, he said, exceeds the maximum contaminant levels for iron at two of its wells.

Patchett recommended an interconnection with the NWC at the southwest corner of Wheeling and Kensington roads at a cost of $3.7 million. If that parcel is unavailable, he recommended a connection at Highland and Emerson streets at a cost of $5.4 million.

By comparison, it would cost the village $7.7 million to keep the backup well system operational, he said.

"I would anticipate that your customers would see little to no change in terms of water quality," if the backup supply were needed, he said. "I think it would be a fairly seamless transition to use water from the Northwest Water Commission."

No decision was made by village trustees, other than to give village staff direction to look at the matter further.

Trustee Paul Hoefert said he has concerns about the Lake Michigan supply being "tainted" or "breakdowns in the system caused by bad people."

"In this world, there is a huge value in having control. The wells belong to us," he said. "They access water that is not really easy to taint."

However, Public Works Director Sean Dorsey said that to assume groundwater can't be "problematic" is not precisely accurate. He noted that well water can be infected with bacteria, volatile organic compounds and pesticides.

It's much more difficult to contaminate the volume of water that's in Lake Michigan," Trustee Michael Zadel added. "From a security standpoint, I think Lake Michigan is much safer."