PUBLIC UTILITIES ADVISORY BOARD AGENDA ITEM
ACTION REQUESTED:
title
Receive the DuPage Water Commission Activity Report
body
DEPARTMENT: Water Utilities
SUBMITTED BY: Darrell Blenniss, Director Water Utilities
BOARD/COMMISSION REVIEW:
N/A
BACKGROUND:
The DWC is currently executing two significant long-term projects. The WaterLink Project is a 30-mile infrastructure extension designed to supply Lake Michigan water to the communities of Oswego, Montgomery, and Yorkville. This project addresses the depletion of the deep sandstone aquifer in that region and utilizes Naperville as a key transmission corridor.
Concurrently, the Alternative Water Supply Project (Lake Michigan Water Supply Initiative) is in the planning phase. This initiative explores the feasibility of developing a direct connection to Lake Michigan to provide "source-to-tap" control by the year 2041, aiming to stabilize long-term costs and enhance regional water security.
DISCUSSION:
WaterLink Project Status as of January 2026, the WaterLink Project has transitioned from the engineering design phase into active construction. Phase II Engineering services are substantially complete, with approximately 95% of the contract budget expended. Extensive data collection, including the survey of over 1,000 structures and "potholing" of existing utilities, has been conducted to minimize construction risks.
Construction activity is now visible within Naperville limits. Work on the "Book Road" segment (Contract TW-6 Section 1) is underway. Following a value engineering review, the Commission opted for open-cut trenching in this area, which necessitates the partial road closures currently in place between 75th Street and 83rd Street. These closures are expected to persist through the spring of 2027.2 Staff notes that the Commission is also addressing complex utility coordination in this corridor, particularly regarding the electrical duct banks along 75th Street.
Frontier Park Coordination The pipelin...
Click here for full text