Sycamore considers $2.5M contract for water main replacement projects

SYCAMORE – The Sycamore City Council on Monday will consider a contract request for a Gilberts-based company to undertake $2.5 million worth of water main improvement projects this year.

The Council will consider the request durning its regular meeting at 6 p.m. Monday at the Sycamore City Center, 308 W. State St. downtown, according to city documents.

City engineer Mark Bushnell asked Sycamore elected officials to consider awarding a $2.5 million contract to Gilberts-based Copenhaver Construction for 2023 water main improvements, documents show. The construction company is in Kane County.

Work is expected on DeKalb and Elm streets, and is part of what city staff say is a priority project in the city’s Water Master Plan. The plan was developed in 2019 and the Sycamore City Council approved it as a means to address aging water infrastructure and develop a way to pay for it.

About 1,019 feet of 8-inch water main and 2,413 feet of 10-inch water main is expected to be installed along DeKalb Avenue, Sacramento Street and Elm Street, documents show.

The city of Sycamore’s water department was issued a permit Feb. 24 from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency for 2023 water main work, documents show.

Sycamore residents on the affected streets are expected to receive notice should their water be impacted by water main work.

According to an outline of water main improvements provided by civil and environmental engineering firm Trotter and Associates Inc., when replacing water mains or partial lead service lines, notification must be made to area residents with affected lines at least 14 days prior to work starting, documents show.

“Our water system will soon begin a water line maintenance and/or construction project that may affect the lead concentrations in your drinking water,” the lead information notice states. “Lead, a metal found in natural deposits, is harmful to humans’ health, especially young children and pregnant women.”

The notice also states that disruption, just as construction, maintenance or water main replacement, can sometimes cause a temporary increase in lead levels in the affected water supply.

According to the notice, Sycamore residents will be urged to use cold water instead of hot during construction, as lead dissolves more easily in hot water. Boiling the water will not help, the notice shows. Flushing water for three to five minutes before use is recommended for residents with lead service lines during water main work, the notice shows. If residents don’t have a lead service line, they’re asked to run tap water for one to two minutes before using during water main work.

Under the city’s 2019 master plan, infrastructure work to overhaul the city’s water system is expected. According to the 170-page water plan, more than 45% of Sycamore’s water mains are 50 years or older. Of that, 38% or about 43 miles of water main were build in the 1950s or before, documents show.

City documents state the water master plan will “improve water circulation in the project corridor and surrounding area, replace lead service lines as well as replace sections of main that are frequent to water main breaks and potential service interruptions.”

Sycamore maintains about 115 miles of water main serving 7,000 users, according to the city’s Water Master Plan. Sycamore’s water mains are made of iron, which also can be found in the region’s groundwater.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, iron exceeding 0.3 milligrams per liter can cause water to have a rusty color, taste metallic or have sediment in it.

Two other water main project bids were sent to Sycamore, including one from DeKalb-based Elliot and Wood Inc for $2.7 million and the other from St. Charles-based Trine Construction Corporation for $2.9 million.

Following the water main work, Curran Contraction is expected to complete $356,000 in street improvement work, documents show, though the city expects to receive $285,000 from federal road funding.

“Water Master Plan will] improve water circulation in the project corridor and surrounding area, replace lead service lines as well as replace sections of main that are frequent to water main breaks and potential service interruptions.”

—  City of Sycamore 2019 Water Master Plan

Also on Monday, the Sycamore City Council is expected to vote on raising residents’ water bills to account for budget shortfalls needed for what city staff said are necessary water infrastructure projects.

Sycamore officials have said that inflation is largely to blame for needed fee increases.

The vote will come more than a month after Sycamore officials announced they settled at $6 million class-action lawsuit over water quality concerns, including foul odor and discoloration as well as fears over documented elevated lead and chlorine levels. Hall said the utility fee proposals aren’t related to the recently settled lawsuit that came after years of concerns raised by Sycamore residents regarding water quality concerns in the city.

City officials have maintained the fee increases aren’t related to budgetary stipulations outlined in the water lawsuit settlement.

“Everything that we’re talking about tonight has nothing related to do with the water lawsuit at all,” City Manager Michael Hall said during a March 6 Council meeting. “So this is all things that we planned before that, and this has got nothing to do with any of that that happened.”

According to the settlement agreement reached out of court in January, the city is required to pay an average of $1.2 million annually toward water infrastructure improvements through 2027. The settlement also requires the city to pay for additional testing of lead and chlorine levels annually through 2025.

Sycamore already conducts annual water testing; however, the settlement stipulates a larger pool of properties be tested using a laboratory chosen under the settlement agreement.

The Sycamore City Council previously increased residents’ water fees after a November 2020 vote that imposed a $6.90 water bill base fee to help fund water system improvements. But according to city documents, Public Works Director Matt Anderson requested the council take up the considerations because the fee structure isn’t bringing in enough revenue.