Expanding Access to High-Quality Water in Lake County

In 1986, several communities in Lake County, Illinois banded together for a common cause: they needed higher quality, affordable drinking water. The result was the formation of the Central Lake County Joint Action Water Agency (CLCJAWA). Previously, communities in the area obtained their drinking water from groundwater aquifers or purchased treated water from other communities. Over time, water costs rose, while water quality and quantity fell. This was no longer sustainable for residents of Lake County, so with the guidance of CDM Smith’s team of water experts, they made the decision to unite under an independent water treatment and supply system, using Lake Michigan as the source. This would allow the communities to take control of their own drinking water and set pricing, quality, and avail­abil­ity in an inter­gov­ern­men­tal system. CDM Smith was responsible for providing complete engineering services for the $100 million construc­tion and start-up effort.

Three decades later, CLCJAWA has earned a reputation for consis­tently providing its member communities with access to reliable, high-quality potable water. Recognizing the agency’s capa­bil­i­ties, nearby non-member communities wanted in. CLCJAWA commis­sioned CDM Smith to perform a capacity expansion assessment in 2012 to assess projected water demands in 2040 for the interested areas. The study revealed that the agency had the capacity to take on six new member communities, so they rose to the challenge.

To complete these efforts, CLCJAWA selected the CDM Smith team to complete design and construc­tion management efforts of the new water trans­mis­sion main expansion, including SRF funding assistance. The team got to work on preliminary engineering reports for both the North and West groups, starting with an examination of the existing water system, and developing design criteria for the new water trans­mis­sion main. The team  also completed a variety of other services for the agency including route studies, preliminary easement and rights-of-way analysis, hydraulic analysis, geot­ech­ni­cal evaluation, corrosion control evaluation, and envi­ron­men­tal impact evaluations.

The evaluations revealed that ductile iron or PVC would yield the best results without  high costs. The team held planning workshops and group sessions with member community repre­sen­ta­tives to gain input on proposed trans­mis­sion mains, and then completed field studies to create routes for the expansion. Once materials were chosen, pipeline valves and appur­te­nances were incor­po­rated into the design, and CDM Smith’s team of experts then selected pipe sizes, location of delivery structures, and estimates of construc­tion costs for expansion to the new communities.

In 2016, the water system broke ground on expansion to the North Group: the Village of Lake Villa, Village of Lindenhurst, and County service areas of Grandwood Park and Fox Lake Hills. 13 miles of pipe were installed and 170 easements obtained over the course of three years, with the project ringing in $8.9 million under budget. Expansion to the West Group, the Village of Wauconda and Village of Volo, began in 2018. Nine miles of pipe and 51 easements were installed in two years, at $7 million under budget.

Due to the scope of this expansion, many different pipe instal­la­tion methods were used, including open-cut, dozens of jack-and-bores, and over 11,000 feet of horizontal directional drilling. The pipeline travelled through many different landscapes from dense urban to large wetlands. This variety of instal­la­tion methods meant that wetlands were avoided, existing landscaping was saved, and disruptions to residents was kept to a minimum. Throughout the agency’s existence, CDM Smith’s team of conveyance experts has provided support  in every effort to provide potable water to the communities they dutifully serve. Today, the agency supplies drinking water to 13 members serving 19 communities, and is credited as the first conven­tional water treatment plant in the United States to receive the Phase IV Excellence in Water Treatment certi­fi­ca­tion from the Partnership for Safe Water. 

“Working with CLCJAWA on this system expansion was an incredible experience," said Jared Wendorf, CDM Smith project manager. "From CLCJAWA project managers and directors to CDM Smith engineers, inspectors, and easement negotiators, to local consultants, contractors, permitting agencies, and suppliers- it was a true team effort. The result is better water for the people of Illinois, and a larger customer base for our client.”