Village chooses phased water upgrades for aging system

The Water Treatment Plant and distribution system in the Village of Ivesdale, Illinois, were built in 1966. Over the years, they have been replaced, updated and maintained. The Village hired Fehr Graham to study the aging plant and system and write a report to determine how to address the problems. Our team prepared three options - replace the entire plant, improve and upgrade the site, or connect the Village's water to Illinois American Water in Sadorus, 6 miles away. The Village decided to improve the site based on their available funds.

The project will be completed in two phases over 20 years. The first phase will upgrade the treatment plant, and the second will replace the water mains. The facility is working 21 hours a day to meet the daily demand, which leaves little working capacity for increases in population. Our engineers suggested the Village improve the facility to increase the capacity from 35 gallons per minute to 50, which will reduce the necessary working hours to 15. We also recommended the Village replace the pressure filters, high-service pumps, chemical feed systems, effluent and backwash flow meter, plant controls, automated valves and detention tank, and paint the elevated tank. The water mains will also need to be replaced because they are undersized and prone to leaks and breaks.

The plant upgrades and water main replacements are expected to be completed in 2038 and last the Village an additional 20 years.

AT A GLANCE
» Assisted with loan submittals.
» Completed planning and partial design of Phase I improvements.
» Assisted with Phase I bidding.
» Completed construction administration and observation.