The village of Brookfield has taken another step toward completing its water main replacement project this year.
At its Feb. 26 meeting, the Brookfield village board approved four agreements with Edwin Hancock Engineering, a firm based in Westchester, to lead the replacement of some of the village’s aging water infrastructure.
Three of the agreements are for smaller projects to replace water service pipes containing lead with copper pipes; the fourth is for the rest of the water main improvement project as a whole.
The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency already has approved funding for all four projects.
The project is part of a statewide mandate to eliminate lead exposure from drinking water to improve public health. Village officials have said that under new EPA rules, water service lines must be replaced in whole rather than in part to avoid any contamination. Lead can enter drinking water through the corrosion of plumbing materials, such as lead pipes and fixtures. Homes built before 1986 are more likely to have lead plumbing materials.
An internal village memo estimated the three lead water service replacement projects cost about $7 million altogether, with the IEPA providing up to $7.15 million in funding for them in the form a no-interest, 30-year loan.
The first two lead replacement projects will each tackle 220 leaded water service lines and cost $2.45 million, while the third will hit 180 water service lines and cost about $2 million. The total for each project includes constructions costs, as well as proposed engineering fees.
Derek Treichel, president of Hancock Engineering, said at the meeting that the larger water main improvement project will also involve replacing about 80 water service lines.
“All in all, it comes out to about 700 lead services we’ll be replacing and about 6,500 feet of water main,” Treichel said.
The plans for the overall water main improvements project have been in place since September 2022, when Hancock Engineering submitted them. Today, according to the memo, about half of Brookfield’s 60 miles of water main are over 100 years old. The improvements at seven locations across Brookfield will include the installation of more than 7,000 feet of ductile iron pipe water main, as well as new fire hydrants, valves, and water service lines. The improvements will also involve the lining or replacement of some of the sewer, the restoration of pavement, and the removal and replacement of parts of the curb and gutter, among other things.
According to the memo, the locations for the water main improvements are:
- 31st Street, from Maple Avenue to Sunnyside Avenue
- Eberly Avenue, from Sahler Avenue to Gerritsen Avenue
- Brookfield Avenue, from Salt Creek to Hollywood Avenue
- Monroe Avenue, from Grand Boulevard to Maple Avenue
- Henrietta Avenue, from Kemman Avenue to Harrison Avenue
- Morton Avenue, from Southview Avenue to Fairview Avenue
- Arthur Avenue, from Gerritsen Avenue to Congress Park Avenue
The overall water main improvements project will cost about $5.6 million in total, but Brookfield is only responsible for paying for Hancock Engineering’s fees, which come out to 5.8% of construction costs. Altogether, Brookfield will owe Hancock Engineering $743,900 in engineering fees across the four projects. In July 2022, to raise money for these projects, Brookfield increased the village water rate by 14%; according to the memo, the new water rate generates about $750,000 per year, meaning the village has collected more than enough money to fund the projects.
Village officials have said that homeowners who do not want to participate in the project will need to sign a waiver within 30 days of receiving a notice from the village. Doing so will acknowledge that they are not permitting the village to perform the private work.
