System updates improve water quality in Villa Grove

The City of Villa Grove's Water Treatment Plant was built in the late 1930s and has been upgraded through the years, but changes in water treatment standards have shown the facility's shortcomings. The plant needed significant improvements to keep it operational and compliant with Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) standards. The plant had flood damage, corroded pump impellers, an obsolete hydrogen sulfide scrubber, cloudy water in the treatment basin and a loss of media in the gravity filters. The plant was beyond its useful service life, so after a detailed benefit-cost analysis, Fehr Graham recommended replacing the plant rather than considering a major renovation.

The City planned to build across the street from the old water treatment plant. Production wells were refurbished with new pumps and motors and new raw water mains were built to connect to the new plant. The project had numerous treatment improvements including an updraft forced aerator with detention tank, high-service pumps to move water from the detention tank to the pressure filter, an ion exchange softener and storage facilities. Finally, the plant plans included chemical rooms for the addition of chlorine and fluoride to the finished water. 

The community was excited to eliminate the ongoing water quality challenges. The project was completed in summer 2019 and will provide clean drinking water well into the future.