LaSalle holds public hearing on $9.7 million water treatment upgrades, including new deep well and emergency generator

LaSalle held a public hearing on proposed improvements to its water treatment plant that, according to city staff, are designed to improve supply resiliency and replace aging equipment.

The project scope presented includes construction of a new deep well and well house; replacement of the plant’s high-service pumps and variable frequency drives; a new HMO chemical system to treat potential radium in the new well; two redundant aeration and detention basins ahead of the treatment train; replacement of raw water pumps and VFDs; a new dehumidifier; an emergency generator to serve the plant and the deep well; and replacement of 22 hydrants and 24 distribution valves. The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) preliminary environmental impact determination lists the project cost at $9,708,000 and estimates construction starting in December 2025 with completion around June 2027.

Terry, a City of LaSalle staff member presenting the plan, said the city has only shallow wells at present and that “the wells have a problem really keeping up with the demand” during low river conditions. Terry said the deep well is intended to improve resiliency of the water supply and that an emergency generator is being added so the plant can continue operating during power outages; the lack of an on-site generator had been noted in a violation notice to the city.

On financing, the presenter said the city proposes to use the IEPA Public Water Supply loan program. Under the standard 20-year loan assumptions presented, the interest rate would be about 1.87% with an annual repayment estimate of $582,000; because the city qualifies as disadvantaged the presenter said LaSalle is eligible for a hardship rate of about 1% and may qualify for up to $5,000,000 in principal forgiveness. The presenter said, “The city anticipates being able to service the loan without needing to raise the user rates.”

Public commenters and city staff discussed timing and early work on the deep well. Brian (city official or staff member, name given in the hearing) clarified that the deep well work has already been bid and is expected to start in March, even though the overall project’s construction would be scheduled to begin after the loan agreement is executed. The presenter confirmed the IEPA recognizes the need to begin well testing sooner to obtain water-quality information and said interim contractor payments would be reimbursable once the loan agreement is finalized.

The IEPA reviewer named in the document is Fred Blandford, Project Manager, Bureau of Water, Infrastructure Finance Section, Illinois EPA; the presenter gave his Springfield contact information for public comment submissions. The hearing notice and IEPA document identify temporary, construction-related environmental effects such as noise, dust, air emissions, soil erosion and brief traffic disruptions; the document states those impacts will be minimized by contract provisions (soil erosion controls, traffic control, dust control and set construction hours). The presentation also noted that the Illinois Department of Natural Resources Office of Water Resources and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are reviewing plans and drawings to determine whether wetlands or flood-plain mitigation is needed.

On water quality, Terry said the deep well’s source water will have different characteristics from the existing shallow wells and that the city is conducting a corrosion control study required by the IEPA. Terry said the plan is to blend water from the new deep well with existing well-field water rather than entirely replace the current supply. Terry said, “I won’t say it’s gonna be better. It’s gonna be different. It’ll require a different level of treatment,” and added the system is currently meeting applicable state requirements.

The presenter invited written comments to the city or directly to the IEPA during the 10-day public comment period that follows the hearing. The IEPA contact listed in the presentation is Fred Blandford, Bureau of Water, Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, 1021 North Grand Avenue East, P.O. Box 19276, Springfield, IL 62794; phone (217) 782-2027.

Information the presenter said is available or under way includes prior water-quality data from nearby wells, a corrosion-control consultant’s review of that data, and a plan to begin producing water-quality results from the new well during development and testing in spring 2025 that will inform treatment system sizing (including generator horsepower and pump sizing).