In recent years, Aqua Illinois has expanded the footprint of its Kankakee-based water intake operation by at least one third.

The water plant has been a neighbor to generations of residents in Kankakee’s Riverview neighborhood.

Some residents, including at least one Kankakee 6th Ward alderman, believe the time has come for Aqua to take its show on the road – or at least across the flowing waters of the Kankakee River.

The company is set to embark upon a new development to accommodate a new water treatment process required by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency.

Other site upgrades are also targeted in a projected $16 million investment here. The improvements are to boost reliability, enhance operational effectiveness, improve safety and optimize treatment methods.

Details regarding the upgrades are not yet finalized.

The water plant is unquestionably a key industrial component for commercial, industrial and residential expansion, but it also can cause headaches within a neighborhood setting.

At a recent Kankakee City Council meeting, the issue was brought to the attention of the city administration and council members by 6th Ward Alderman Mike Cobbs.

In a statement made during the designated time for city council member comments near the conclusion of the meeting, Cobbs, in short, said the time has come for Aqua to relocate away from this neighborhood.

While the comment likely caused an eye roll or two among elected officials, business leaders or even residents, the point was simple: Aqua’s continued expansion is impacting neighborhood life.

During the course of the past several years, Aqua investments have resulted in a handful of beautiful houses being met with a wrecking ball.

The latest was the home immediately east of the plant. The one-and-a-half-story house, owned by the water company for several years, was demolished about two weeks ago.

The company is planning to construct a maintenance building at the site. Final plans are yet to be completed. The development will likely not take place in 2026, but company officials said this will be the last development taking place there, as they are out of undeveloped property.

Aqua serves 37,000 connections, or about 111,000 customers, through its Kankakee-based plant.

Aqua Illinois replaced Consumers Illinois in March 2004 as the drinking water source in Kankakee County.

In October, Aqua announced it was merging with Essential Utilities Inc., a Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania-based company, and would be operating under the name American Water in 2027.

Jim Bilotta, Aqua’s director of corporate development, said after the January 20 council meeting, the company has not communicated with its neighbors as it should.

He said it is the company’s mission to do better with that portion of the business.

Regarding the call to relocate the plant, which stretches on the south side of four city blocks, Bilotta said that request will obviously not be satisfied.

“We will work with the city and work with the neighbors. We try to be good neighbors,” he said.

He said it is difficult to operate a vital utility plant in the middle of a residential neighborhood.

“But this is the water source. This is the location we have,” he said.

Bilotta said continued Riverview expansion is likely complete as the company is out of property.

Mayor Chris Curtis is, of course, well aware of the economic significance the Aqua plant has for the region.

Curtis also happens to be a 6th Ward resident and lives perhaps four blocks from the site.

“Can we work with them? Absolutely,” he said. “They serve water all the way to University Park. We have to be sensitive to the neighborhood.”

Kankakee River water pulled out at the Riverview site is a “huge economic driver,” Curtis said.

“There is no doubt communication needs to be better. But we also have to remember that most neighbors bought next to the water plant.”

On-site Aqua management said the company’s goal is to be a good neighbor.

“While our top priority is providing safe drinking water to our customers, we are committed to being a good community partner and keeping them informed about the measures we are taking to best serve our communities,” Aqua management wrote in an email to The Journal.

Kelly Johnson, the second of two 6th Ward council representatives, simply described this latest development as “disappointing.”

“it’s disappointing to see houses torn down in our neighborhood and our community to clear the way for chemical storage,” she said.

She said the company’s communication with the city can also be termed disappointing.

“I understand they have to make way for progress. ... We are asking for more respect.”