A south suburban group wants Joliet to consider a third option before deciding in January where the city will go for Lake Michigan water.
The Southland Water Agency sent a letter Thursday to the mayor and City Council contending Joliet could reduce costs by joining the system the agency is developing to distribute Lake Michigan water to the south suburbs.
Joliet since January has looked primarily at two options: building its own pipeline to the Indiana shoreline or buying water from the city of Chicago.
The Southland Water Agency letter, however, said it submitted to city staff “over 100 pages of requested documentation in mid-October with the understanding that follow-up discussions would ensue” before being informed last month on the day of a City Council workshop meeting on the water project that the proposal would not be presented to the council.
City staff and consultants previously dropped Southland Water Agency from consideration in November 2019 as it narrowed options in a search for a future source to replace Joliet well water by 2030
Joliet Utilities Director Allison Swisher said Southland Water Agency was invited to submit a proposal after contacting the city again about the possibility of supplying Lake Michigan water.
“Based on what was submitted, we were not able to determine that they would be able provide water to Joliet in 2030,” Swisher said.
Joliet has targeted 2030 as a deadline based on forecasts that the aquifer now serving city wells will not be able to meet maximum demand by then.
