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Brookfield moves to pursue $24.5 million IEPA bypass loan to finish lead‑service replacements
Summary
Engineering staff told trustees the village has replaced roughly half its known lead water services and is eligible to apply for $24.5 million in IEPA bypass funding to replace the remaining known services; trustees agreed to pursue the application and staff outlined a phased water-rate plan to pay loan obligations.
Brookfield — Village staff and Hancock Engineering told trustees on Oct. 27 that the village has the opportunity to pursue IEPA bypass funding to finish replacing known lead water services and recommended filing an application for roughly $24.5 million in 0% IEPA loan funding.
Derek of Hancock Engineering reported the village identified 3,043 total lead water services in its inventory, has replaced 1,593 to date and has about 1,450 known remaining. He said EPA project managers told the village there is a substantial pool of bypass funding available this cycle and that Brookfield — with completed bidding and engineering documents in hand — is well positioned to be first in line if the board authorizes the application. "We're recommending the village consider going after the $24.5 million to replace the remaining known lead services over the next two years," Derek said. He cautioned that some services listed as copper in the inventory can turn out to be lead when exposed, and excavation to verify private‑side materials would be logistically costly (Hancock estimated roughly $1.5–2 million to excavate large swaths of private meter connections).
Finance staff outlined how the 0% loan could be financed through the village’s water‑rate structure. The village’s water rate includes a component devoted to lead‑service replacement; staff proposed phasing a component increase of roughly $1.50 per 1,000 gallons over three years (spread across the lead‑service component), producing an estimated total rate in the mid‑teens per 1,000 gallons in year three under the proposed schedule. Finance staff emphasized the increase applies to the lead‑service component rather than the entire rate structure and that staff would return with formal rate ordinances for board approval.
Trustees expressed support for filing the IEPA bypass application promptly so Brookfield can be considered for a share of the available funding; they also asked staff to return with the formal loan paperwork and the water‑rate ordinance changes required to finance loan repayment.
Next steps: staff will proceed with an IEPA bypass application and return to the board with formal loan documents and proposed water‑rate ordinance amendments for required approvals before loan closing.
