Oswego OKs Agreements For Switchover To Lake Michigan Water

OSWEGO, IL — The Oswego Village Board approved Tuesday four agreements to progress the switchover to Lake Michigan water, on track for 2028.

The agreements facilitate the village's membership in the DuPage Water Commission and advance the construction phase of the project while also stipulating the terms for the water purchase and sale contract, financing, connection facility, and a buy-in to the commission.

UPDATE: $9.5M Contract For Lake Michigan Receiving Stations Awaits Village Board Approval

The agreements require Oswego, Montgomery and Yorkville to each pay their respective buy-in costs along with their proportional share of extending the DWC system to Kendall County. The three towns will establish an escrow account to ensure funds are available to pay for the full cost of the needed infrastructure and to allow the DWC to make available a $7 million credit line for each community in case of emergency or bridge financing, village staff said.

The commission has offered to provide Oswego a zero percent interest loan to pay for the $11,047,790 capital cost recovery charge, the required buy-in to join. The agreement also allows Oswego to contribute to the upsizing of the transition main from 48 inches to 54 inches to serve future DWC customers, offsetting the buy-in cost, according to a news release.

"These agreements mark a significant step forward for the Village of Oswego to connect with a sustainable water source," Village President Ryan Kauffman said in a statement. "This project reflects our commitment to investing in infrastructure that will allow us to better serve the community. I'm proud of the collaborative efforts that made it possible."

Oswego's existing water source, a deep groundwater aquifer, is at severe risk of depletion and will no longer be able to meet the maximum daily water demand sometime between 2030 and 2050. Groundwater modeling conducted by the Illinois State Water Survey indicates that the groundwater will eventually fall below the level of the existing well system due to the high area demand and the comparatively slow rate of recharge within the aquifer.

The village secured a permit from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources to use Lake Michigan water in August 2023, Patch reported.

The next steps in the project include financing, initiating bidding and beginning construction. Bidding is expected to start by the end of 2024 and construction is set for early 2025, with completion in late 2027. The switchover to Lake Michigan water is planned for spring or summer 2028.

RELATED:

• Oswego's Drinking Water Supply Could Run Out By 2050: Village
• Oswego Gets Permit To Use Lake Michigan Water After Year-Long Process