700 homes to receive upgraded service as Joliet takes control of failing sanitary district

The Will County Board voted 20-1 to support dissolving the Southeast Joliet Sanitary District and transferring its failing water system to the City of Joliet, setting in motion a $15 million infrastructure upgrade project.

The resolution supports using $3 million in Community Development Block Grant funding, $3.28 million in federal ARPA funds, and a $500,000 federal grant to completely rebuild the water system serving approximately 700 homes in the unincorporated area.

County Executive Services Director Elaine Bottomly told the board the current well-based system experiences regular boil orders and service disruptions, with the district “one or two major catastrophic system breaks away from being unable to operate.”

Funding Structure and Timeline

The project will require an estimated additional $7.9 million in local funding, which could come from various sources including the district’s existing assets, resident fees, and potential additional grants. The county’s CDBG commitment spreads $600,000 annually over five years, though officials expect the project to take closer to 10 years to complete.

Board members raised concerns about the county’s financial exposure if federal funding is discontinued, but Bottomly clarified that the county could withdraw from the project if it becomes financially unfeasible.

System History and Need

Bottomly explained that Southeast Joliet Sanitary District, like many similar entities created after World War II, has deferred maintenance for decades while keeping water rates artificially low.

Member Denise Winfrey noted the district’s problems date to its 1950 origins, with infrastructure that “has not been really improved since then.”

The arrangement allows Joliet to provide Lake Michigan water through existing distribution lines along Chicago Street (Route 53), with residents maintaining their unincorporated status.

The lone dissenting vote came from Member Jim Richmond, who expressed concerns about long-term financial obligations and called for more detailed accountability measures.