Overview

• Local and federal officials broke ground June 2 at Chicago’s Southwest Pumping Station, initiating the first phase with a 4-million-gallon storage tank and two 55-million-gallon-per-day pump stations.
• The 60-mile transmission main will link Chicago’s water system to Joliet, Crest Hill, Channahon, Minooka, Romeoville and Shorewood, serving roughly 250,000 residents.
• Project financing of nearly $1.5 billion combines low-interest government loans, bonds issued by the Grand Prairie Water Commission and federal infrastructure grants.
• Construction is slated to run through 2029 with water deliveries to begin in 2030, replacing declining underground aquifer supplies in the southwest suburbs.
• Under a 100-year purchase agreement, the Grand Prairie Water Commission will become Chicago’s second-largest water customer and generate about $30 million annually for the Department of Water Management.