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Engineering reports warn Bloomington to prioritize water and sewer replacement after Canal Street televising
Summary
Consultants told the Village Board that Canal Street televising exposed extensive water and sewer deterioration and presented a 60-year analysis showing replacement of the 75-year-old water tower is likely cheaper than rehabilitation; a committee meeting was scheduled to review funding and project phasing.
The Village of Bloomington received a stark engineering update after sewer televising and inspections showed substantial deterioration of water and sewer lines on Canal Street and surrounding downtown blocks.
"The televising on Canal Street revealed extensive deterioration in water and sewer infrastructure from Prospect Street to Bowery Street, all requiring replacement before the state's 2031 highway reconstruction," Mark Digman of Delta 3 Engineering told the board, adding that recent water-main breaks confirm the urgency.
Digman presented a 60-year lifecycle comparison showing tower rehabilitation would cost about $3.4 million over the period (about $10.6 million with 3% inflation), whereas a new 150,000-gallon spheroid tower would cost roughly $1.5 million initially and cut lifecycle costs significantly. He noted the May 2025 inspection recommended about $541,000 in immediate repairs and that the DNR has given the village two years to address tower deficiencies.
The board heard that a $1 million Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) could be available (covering up to $1.5 million in work) but that income surveys and grant timing must be carefully coordinated with the state's Canal Street reconstruction to avoid unnecessary pavement restoration costs. Digman said the village’s single-well system and generally strong grant-scoring history are relevant factors in funding strategy.
Trustees scheduled a special committee meeting for April 21 to review cost estimates, funding options, and project phasing to align with DOT schedules. "We need to look at timing and funding so we don't pay twice for paving," McLimans said during discussion. The meeting will consider televising results, pump-replacement quotes, and grant applications.
