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North Aurora reviews water‑impact agreement as food producer Perla plans high daily use
Summary
Trustees discussed a proposed water‑impact agreement with Perla, a food producer planning to occupy a warehouse at Ice Cream Drive and Randall Road, including projected daily usage, an impact fee with half due up front, and how the village’s storage, wells and an ongoing water study factor into capacity and public‑safety protections.
North Aurora trustees on May 19 reviewed a proposed water‑impact agreement with Perla, a food‑production tenant planning to occupy a warehouse at the corner of Ice Cream Drive and Randall Road. Staff said Perla’s projected average daily use is roughly 49,000 gallons and a maximum daily use just over 69,000 gallons.
The discussion centered on how the village will collect an impact fee, protect resident water service and incorporate findings from an ongoing master water study. "Their average daily usage is roughly around 49,000 gallons a day," Staff member Steve said, adding the agreement mirrors one recently used for Aurora Pack. "The impact fee…is paid half upfront. They'll pay an impact fee of $437,715.50 up front; the full amount after the second year is expected to be $875,431 or less depending on if they use less water then."
Why it matters: the village must ensure large commercial users do not threaten residential supply or fire flows and must set contractual protections and monitoring. The agreement includes a mechanism to reassess actual second‑year usage and to bill the difference if the company uses more than projected. Steve said the contract also allows the village to suspend service if a user’s daily draw compromises resident service or fire safety.
Trustees asked about long‑term aquifer health and near‑term production capacity. "And the aquifers are adequately supplied. That's really my question to address," Trustee Christiansen asked. Steve said the village is finishing a two‑year master study with engineering firm EEI and expects draft results this summer. He gave current system figures: about 1.5 million gallons in storage in existing towers, planned tower capacity of 2,750,000 gallons when the new tower is finished, and average daily production of about 2,000,000 gallons (with summer production exceeding 3,000,000 gallons). He noted a $600,000 SCADA upgrade is concluding to improve automated well and tower controls.
Staff framed two separate capacity concerns: short‑term production (whether treatment plants, wells and towers can meet daily demand) and long‑term aquifer sustainability. "Our current capacity of what we can produce is well beyond what this will be with Aurora pack and Perla," Steve said, but added the EEI model will show when long‑term changes may require sourcing from outside the aquifer, including Lake Michigan or the Fox River.
The draft agreement mirrors a prior Aurora Pack deal: half the fee due up front, the remainder subject to a usage review after one year of operation. Steve said the agreement also establishes communication protocols so Perla would be notified of events such as main breaks.
No formal action was taken; trustees reviewed the agreement and asked staff to return with any final contract language and the water‑system study results. Staff said the EEI study draft should be available for board review in June or July.
Ending: With protections and billing mechanisms written into the draft contract, staff characterized the item as a contract‑level negotiation to finish before issuing final permit approvals; trustees reserved final action pending the study and final contract language.
