Cresthill engineer updates council on Grand Prairie Water Commission timetable, route and financing

City Engineer Ron Wiedemann told the Cresthill City Council on July 21 that the Grand Prairie Water Commission’s alternate water source program is moving from design and land-acquisition into construction planning, with local work along Gaylord and Cedarwood drives expected to begin in staged segments beginning in mid‑2026 and extending into 2029. The update focused on schedule, route, permitting, financing and city-level system improvements required to accept treated Lake Michigan water.

Wiedemann said the commission selected treated water from the City of Chicago and is transferring the 05/01/2023 Chicago–Joliet water supply agreement to the Grand Prairie Water Commission. “We are on track to bid the project out the first quarter of 2026,” he said, and described bidding and construction timing for the large transmission mains and receiving facilities that must tie into Cresthill’s system.

The update matters because Cresthill’s existing supply relies on eight…