East Dundee outlines $13 million plan to repair aging water system, flags PFAS monitoring

Consultants from Baxter & Woodman told the East Dundee village board on June 1 that the village's water system will need a multiyear investment plan to address aging pipes, meet new federal PFAS rules and carry out a required lead service-line replacement program.

Dan Bounds, the firm's point of contact for the village, said the village relies on two production wells (wells 5 and 6), a treatment plant rated at 1.4 million gallons per day and roughly 33 miles of water main serving more than 3,000 customers. "Your water treatment plant has a capacity of 1.4 million gallons per day of treatment," Bounds said. He added that average daily production is about 420,000 gallons.

Caitlyn Wright, Baxter & Woodman's water department manager, described the new regulatory burdens facing communities and the amount of testing the village already conducts. "All community water systems are managed underneath the Safe Drinking Water Act," Wright said, adding that East Dundee has had "no health-based violations" in recent years and that required Consumer Confidence Reports will move from annual to twice-yearly reporting beginning in 2027.

Wright and Bounds warned that a federal- and state-adopted standard for PFAS (referred to in the meeting as PAS/POS) sets a very low actionable level — roughly four parts per trillion — and that the village is in an initial monitoring period that runs through April 2027. If PFAS is detected at or above the regulatory threshold, the village would be required to notify the public, increase sampling frequency and, depending on results, pursue treatment upgrades that could include technologies requiring offsite disposal or incineration of removed material.

The consultants laid out several near-term projects and order-of-magnitude costs: a filter media and control upgrade at the treatment plant (~$400,000), rehabilitation and repainting of the Route 68 elevated tank (~$1.2 million), an oxidation contact tank to improve iron removal (~$625,000), planned rehabilitation of Well 6 (~$660,000) and multiple targeted water-main projects (examples discussed included a Prairie Lake Road replacement and an upsizing on Van Beern Street). The village is also planning to accelerate replacement of approximately 330 known lead or galvanized service lines; the consultants estimated a total program cost of about $6 million and said the village is seeking IEPA funding to complete much of the work over three years rather than the 10-year window allowed by recent rules.

Consultants proposed a smaller, targeted project to address recurring poor water quality at the north end of First Street: looping the terminal line to Second Street to increase flow and reliability. Bounds said connecting the dead end to a nearby main would likely cost about $300,000 to design and construct.

Board members pressed the consultants on repair options — water-main lining versus open cut, the value of pigging to remove internal tuberculation, options to upsizing small 4-inch mains to 8 inches, and whether connecting to a regional Lake Michigan supply would be feasible. Consultants said lining can be useful in limited circumstances but is not a universal cost-saver for small, highly connected neighborhood mains; pigging may improve flow and reduce discoloration; and connecting to a regional supply involves substantial regulatory and capital hurdles.

On financing, staff said the village previously commissioned a rate study; the village approved a 5% increase last year but the study recommended larger increases to support capital needs. Village staff said budget deliberations in coming months will consider rate changes alongside grant and loan opportunities.

The consultants emphasized the scale of need: "Between fiscal year 27 through fiscal year 31, we're looking at nearly $13 million that are planned for system improvements presently," the presentation said. Board members and staff said they will continue to seek outside funding and to consider rate adjustments as part of the 2027 budget process.

Next steps: ongoing monitoring for PFAS through April 2027, advancing design work for priority projects (treatment upgrades, tank rehab, targeted main replacements and the First Street looping alternatives) and continuing grant and rate discussions during upcoming budget meetings.