$170K Cost For 1 Western Springs Main Break: Official

WESTERN SPRINGS, IL – Western Springs is poised to pay an estimated $170,000 to solve a water main break in a neighborhood on the west side, an official said this week.

This would be an unusually high amount.

The water main break occurred recently between Fair Elms and Commonwealth avenues, Trustee Al Fink told the Village Board.

"The problem is it's beneath (Flagg) Creek. It's an 8-inch water main, and it was installed in the 1960s," Fink said. "The worry is that when they repair it, creek water may get in the water system. We have to make sure that doesn't happen."

The situation, he said, is not a concern now because the water is pressurized and water is always leaking out.

But the village aims to hire V3 Companies to safely replace the pipe, Fink said.

He said the $170,000 cost was unfortunate and unbudgeted.

That amount contrasts with bills totaling nearly $25,000 that the village paid late last year for two plumbing firms to deal with main breaks. That was because the village's staff couldn't handle all the main breaks that happened in a short time, officials said.

In all of 2024, the village experienced 74 main breaks, a number that has increased over the years. More than half the breaks have occurred on water mains that were installed before 1940, officials said.

On April 1, local voters are set to decide on allowing the village to raise property taxes to cover $45 million in debt for infrastructure.

In 2023, the village paid an engineering firm to determine which roads and sewer and water mains needed replacement. Those that require all three are priorities, according to the village.