Sauk Village, Illinois: WATER PROBLEMS GET WORSE

by Joseph Wiszowaty
SAUK VILLAGE | It seems not so long ago that the village was giving away "free water" to residents under a Consent Decree from the Illinois Attorny General Lisa Madigan's office. That was back in July, 2012. Fast forward to today, the Village is still using the temporary Air Strippers on well #1 and #2 on Sauk Trail and well #3 is still shut down.

The Village is required to get well #3, which is located near Roadway's trucking terminal on the Village's north side of town, back on line or provide for an emergency connection. The reason it was taken offline in 2009, was because the levels of vinyl chloride have steadily increased. From 2009 to 2012 vinyl chloride levels began increasing to a point where the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency stepped in to force Sauk Village's hand.

Sauk Village voters approved a referendum to increase water rates, abandon the Village's 56 year old wells and go to Lake Michigan water. The problem with that is the Village's water loss was too excessive. Village Engineer Jim Czarnik of Robinson Engineering said at Tuesday's meeting the Village's water loss has been reduced to about 20% from a high of about 40% according to reports in 2012.

Complicating the Village's water problems now is the Village has yet to secure the $5.3 million from the State of Illinois for the water improvements which included installing permanent air strippers at Wells #3, #1 and #2. Additionally, plans called for replacing the filtration media for the village's aging iron removal system. The iron removal system went on line in 1988 and the filtration media has never been replaced.

According to the water improvement plan (CLICK HERE TO VIEW PRESENTATION), which was discussed before the April, 2013 election,
the plan was submitted to the IEPA for approval. The project was suppose to have gone out for bid in July, 2013 and construction was to have been underway in September of this year and completed by September of 2014. At a meeting Mayor David Hanks said that the Village was approved for the low interest loan, however, funds have not yet entered the Village's coffers and the Village's water crisis continues.

It is uncertain, if the village's continued borrowing from the water fund to meet payroll has caused concern with the powers at the State level. Calls to the Gary Bingenheimer of the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency were not returned late Friday night. Vinyl Chloride levels remain high in all three village wells according to the IEPA website, however, the temporary air strippers process appears to be removing the carcinogen before it goes into the distribution system.