The Lake County department of public works laid out plans involving more than 300 projects earlier this month as it presented its five-year capital improvement plan to members of the Lake County Board’s Public Works, Planning and Transportation Committee.

The capital improvement plan from 2023 to 2027 forecasts a need for roughly $91.4 million to keep up with needed projects, planned and emerging, and to stay up to date with regulatory requirements. Over the next 10 years, Interim Public Works Director Austin McFarlane and staff are projecting a need for about $160 million.

McFarlane said the plan was drafted to ensure Lake County keeps up with regulatory requirements, maximizes the life span of existing assets, replaces aging infrastructure at the right time and takes advantage of existing capacity to meet future demands involving transportation, stormwater, drinking water and wastewater.

He added that it was drafted with Lake County’s Strategic Plan in mind, which aims to “deliver exceptional, financially and environmental responsive/responsible services that promote a safe, affordable, healthy and resilient community.”

The department of public works has slated $7.4 million in projects regarding water production and storage, $4.2 million for water distribution, $3.9 million in wastewater collection and $500,000 for other support facilities and equipment in 2023.

The price tag jumps up to a projected $34.2 million for the 2024 financial year, largely due to $13.6 million in planned projects at water reclamation facilities, which were a focus this year and aren’t expected to require any funding next year. The department is projecting spending totals of $14.6 million in 2025, $14.6 million in 2026 and $12.6 million in 2027.

The Lake County Board allocated about $18.6 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding for seven projects in 2022, including water system upgrades for the Oak Terrace subdivision and West Oak Middle School in Mundelein and connection to Lake Michigan water for the Pekara and Horatio Gardens subdivisions in Vernon Township.

Three projects at Des Plaines River Water Reclamation Facility also received ARPA funds for the installation of high efficiency blowers, disc filters and ultraviolet disinfection treatment.

Committee member John Wasik, who represents District 6 which includes Grayslake and parts of Round Lake Beach, Round Lake Park and Wildwood, called the presentation “quite comprehensive” as he inquired about the water main replacements scheduled for Wildwood in 2023.

“Any idea how much roughly that’s going to cost?” Wasik asked.

Engineering project manager Emily Karry estimated that project could require about $5 million, though presenters said the totals were likely to change before construction begins.

The Grandwood Park neighborhood in Warren Township is set to undergo water main replacements in 2024 along Grandwood Drive and Woodland Terrace, according to engineering supervisor Brittany Albrecht Sloan. She said there have been main breaks in Wildwood and Grandwood Park which have recently caused problems.

“In both of these neighborhoods we’ve experienced a number of breaks just based on pipe age and material and that does cause service interruptions for our customers,” Albrecht Sloan said.

Ann Maine, who represents District 21 which spans from Riverwoods to include portions of Grayslake and Gurnee, asked McFarlane about environmental regulators lowering the threshold of phosphorus allowed in drinking water, and if the county was in position to be able to be compliant with any changes.

McFarlane said the Des Plaines River Water Reclamation Facility still has a phosphorus level that could be higher than updated state standards would allow, noting the county still has “some work to do” to lower it if standards tighten.

“We may have to do some more work into the upper Des Plaines River for cleanup, but we’re hoping that the state will look at that as favorable with the changes we’ve made today,” he said.

In general, though, McFarlane said the county has been able to decrease phosphorus levels.

“We try to keep a keen eye on sustainability, and a good case in point is our phosphorus reduction program,” McFarlane said. “We have been able to reduce the amount of phosphorus and nitrogen that we release into the receiving stream (that is) a much greater reduction than we have had in 10 years.”

The public works department maintains 12 water systems, more than 290 miles of water main pipes, 25 wells, 10 water reservoirs and eight water towers. It also owns and operates three wastewater facilities, seven sewer systems, more than 470 miles of sanitary sewer piping, seven interceptor sewers and five major wastewater pump stations.

Member Jennifer Clark, who chairs the committee, asked about an increase in emergency water storage capacity resulting from connecting Lake County’s Vernon Hills water system and the Village of Lincolnshire’s water system and how long it could last.

McFarlane said he was comfortable there would be enough capacity in the event of an emergency shutdown for repairs, though maybe not quite enough capacity for a shutdown of 24 hours.

“We certainly can’t stop there,” McFarlane said. “Not only is our infrastructure aging, but CLCJAWA’s infrastructure is also aging so we have to continuously look at ways to improve storage not only in Vernon Hills, but in all our water systems.”

“I’m glad to hear we’ll have more storage,” Clark replied.