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Joliet reports volume-based gains cutting water loss; city readies zones and major upgrades ahead of Lake Michigan allocation
Summary
Public utilities director Allison Swisher and consultant Will Turnage reported that Joliet reduced non-revenue water by more than one-third on a volumetric basis since 2018 and will focus 2026 work on high-loss zones, expanded monitoring and distribution upgrades tied to upcoming Lake Michigan allocation requirements.
Joliet — The City of Joliet’s water system is showing steady progress in reducing non-revenue water, consultants told council at the pre-council meeting on March 2 as the city prepares to meet requirements tied to a future Lake Michigan allocation.
Allison Swisher, director of public utilities, told the council that the city has set a goal to reduce non-revenue water to less than 10% by Sept. 30, 2030, a target tied to the expected start of Lake Michigan water deliveries and to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources allocation process. Swisher introduced Will Turnage of Capstone, who summarized recent work and next steps.
Turnage said Joliet’s long-running program — leak detection, customer-meter testing, targeted meter replacements and multi-year water-main replacements — has produced measurable improvements. "On a volumetric basis, the city has improved from 125 to 80 gallons per connection per day," he said, calling that more than a one-third reduction in total water loss by volume since 2018. He noted that percentage-based metrics (for example, a decline from 35% to 28%) can give an underwhelming impression because conservation reduces the denominator, and he described ongoing discussions with Illinois DNR to incorporate volume-based measures into regulatory reporting.
Key program elements for 2026 include continuing targeted water-main replacements (Turnage said about 30 miles of replacements were completed over the past year), maintaining meter-testing programs, shifting zone monitoring from an annual to a monthly cadence and ultimately toward daily/real-time data. Joliet currently measures losses across six zones and plans to expand to 13 measurement zones; the additional zone includes the system recently acquired from the Southeast Joliet Sanitary District, which provides a ready-made district metered area (DMA).
The presentation also listed several consent-agenda contract recommendations and professional services awards tied to water system work that will be before council at a future meeting: a distribution-system upgrade contract (JOL-08-04) recommended to PT Ferro for $15,196,257.72 (Council Memo 151-26), a professional-services award for district metered area management to McKim & Creed for $168,000 (Council Memo 141-26), a 2026 water-loss control technical assistance contract to Cavanaugh & Associates for $668,355 (Council Memo 142-26), and other related professional-service and construction items.
Why it matters: Reductions in water loss lower system costs, preserve source water (relevant to the Lake Michigan allocation) and reduce infrastructure strain. The move toward volumetric metrics aligns Joliet with American Water Works Association recommendations and could affect regulatory discussions with IDNR.
What’s next: Staff will continue zone-focused work, progress on meter and main replacements, and discussions with IDNR to incorporate volumetric performance measures into Joliet’s regulatory reporting. Several capital and professional-services awards tied to these programs were listed on the upcoming council agenda.
