Joliet secures land rights for Lake Michigan water transition, advances $2M water tower rehab

Joliet secures land rights for Lake Michigan water transition, advances $2M water tower rehabThe Joliet City Council approved critical easement and joint improvement agreements with the Grand Prairie Water Commission to facilitate its alternative water supply project, while clearing a slate of capital upgrades across its existing utility network.

Council members approved right-of-way and delivery structure easements for the Grand Prairie Water Commission to route Lake Michigan water to the city.

A $1.89 million construction contract and a $158,950 engineering agreement were awarded for the Campbell Street Water Tower Rehabilitation Project.

The Eastside Wastewater Treatment Plant will receive nearly $400,000 in upgrades to its final clarifiers through two newly approved contracts.

The city authorized a $220,907 rehabilitation of Well 18D and a $349,302 utility generator purchase.

The Joliet City Council took necessary procedural steps on May 5, 2026, to advance its transition to a new Lake Michigan water supply, approving a suite of agreements with the Grand Prairie Water Commission (GPWC). During the meeting's Public Service Committee report, a council member characterized the GPWC resolutions as necessary "housekeeping" measures to secure right-of-way and facilitate the connection and ownership turnover of the incoming water supply infrastructure. The council unanimously approved resolutions for the Joliet Quaternary and Secondary Delivery Structure easement agreements, as well as a broader Joint Improvement Agreement with the GPWC. Alongside the long-term supply transition, the council authorized a package of near-term capital contracts totaling nearly $2.7 million to maintain the city's existing utility assets. The largest of these is the Campbell Street Water Tower Rehabilitation Project. Era-Valdivia Contractors Inc. was awarded the $1.89 million construction contract, with Dixon Engineering Inc. securing a $158,950 not-to-exceed agreement for construction engineering services. At the Eastside Wastewater Treatment Plant, the council approved two contracts targeting the facility's final clarifiers: a $327,600 repainting contract awarded to Dynamic Industrial Services and a $68,888 slide gate installation contract awarded to Dahme Mechanical Industries Inc. Other utility procurements approved via the consent agenda included a $349,302 generator purchase from Metropolitan Industries and a $220,907 contract to Great Lakes Water Resources Group for the rehabilitation of Well 18D. The council also signed off on a $40,000 easement agreement with Hawkeye Land Company for the Railroad Street Water Main Improvement Project and authorized $25,140 in annual membership dues to the Lower DuPage River Watershed Coalition.