Joliet approves 2025 water‑main replacement program; council OKs more than $70 million in contracts

Joliet City Council on Jan. 21 approved a slate of contracts and related resolutions to advance the city’s 2025 water main replacement program, part of a multi‑year effort tied to the city’s Lake Michigan water allocation.

The measures approved at the meeting together fund a program that the city said will replace roughly 30 miles of water main in 2025 and prioritize mains built before 1970 and lines with frequent breaks. The city’s Director of Public Utilities, Allison Swisher, told council the accelerated replacement schedule was requested by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources as a condition of the Lake Michigan water allocation.

The council approved multiple construction contracts for discrete project areas across the city and an amendment to an independent review contract for the alternative water source program. Swisher said the program is intended to reduce non‑revenue water — water lost to leaks — and that the city will replace lead service lines encountered during main replacements “from the home to the water main at no cost to the resident.” She said the city will mail residents project‑specific letters and hold an open house and will post interactive maps online showing the streets affected.

Council members asked about project…