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Homewood takes final step authorizing move toward Hammond water

Construction will begin soon on a new main that will deliver water from Hammond, Indiana, to Homewood and Flossmoor. The Homewood village board approved the project at its Nov. 10 meeting.

Village officials reviewed the costs with engineering firm Burns and McDonnell in two meetings in September and October, cutting more than $1 million, according to the village. The total cost of the project is $11,670,475, which includes the main, a new pump station, water testing, disinfection and design. 

“This will be probably the largest public works project that we’ve undertaken,” Mayor Richard Hofeld said. “I want to commend Burns and McDonnell. I sat in on several meetings, most recently on Oct. 8. You’ve further reduced the cost and you’ve been a pleasure to work with.” 

Tree clearing along the path is expected to begin in December or January. By law, trees cannot be taken down between April and November in portions of the route because it lies within the nesting area of the Indiana bat, an endangered species.

The aim is to have most of the pipe installed and a new pump station constructed by the end of 2021. The bulk of the project should be completed by Aug. 26, 2022, ready to deliver water from Chicago Heights by the end of 2022. 

The project will be paid for with cash reserves the village has saved since paying off the last water bond in 2005, Finance Director Dennis Bubenik said. 

Village Manager Jim Marino said Homewood also considered issuing a bond or obtaining an Illinois Environmental Protection Agency loan. The village decided it wasn’t necessary because it had the cash available. The process of securing funds through either means would likely have pushed the project beyond the December 2022 deadline, as well.

The village will have an estimated $2 million remaining in its reserve balance, Marino said. 

One of the cost-cutting measures was switching the pipe from iron to plastic. In addition to being lower cost, plastic won’t corrode and is easier to install than heavier iron pipe. Certain portions of the path also require plastic pipe because of the method with which it will be installed.

Homewood will transition to a new 25-year agreement to get Lake Michigan water treated by Hammond and delivered through Chicago Heights. Homewood will continue to supply water to Flossmoor. The village currently gets water through Harvey, which buys from Chicago.

Harvey owes Chicago more than $20 million in past-due bills and its water infrastructure is in need of major improvements. Homewood would pay up to $5.16 per 1,000 gallons had that contract been extended. Instead, the village will pay Chicago Heights $4.05 per 1,000 gallons, with $2.05 of that amount going to Hammond. 

Homewood will connect a new 30-inch main to a to-be-constructed pump station in Thornton, which will be downstream from a pump station in Lansing. The water will travel north to the abandoned railroad tracks south of the Washington Gardens Cemetery, then northwest under Halsted Street and Ridge Road, through the Izaak Walton Preserve to Homewood’s ground water reservoirs and pumping station at Ashland Avenue and Maple Road.

The Izaak Walton Preserve board was kept informed throughout the design phase. Preserve board President John Brinkman’s letter to Homewood Public Works Director John Schaefer praising that communication was read into the record during the Nov. 10 village board meeting.

The pipe will be installed using a “jack and bore” method in the preserve, which limits disturbance of the environment by boring horizontally between two vertical pits in order to avoid disturbing the surface between them. 

The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency also requires the village to conduct a corrosion study to ensure that the new water won’t result in higher levels of lead or other contaminants after traveling through Homewood’s existing infrastructure. Pipes excavated from Homewood and Flossmoor are being tested by Burns and McDonnell. Testing will continue for at least six months. The results will need to be approved by the IEPA. 

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