Joliet water main work stepped up for 2022

Joliet has started awarding contracts for an estimated $38 million in water main replacements in 2022, the biggest year since the city began a systematic replacement program.

The city in 2017 stepped up water main replacements to upgrade an aging system and reduce the amount of water being lost through leaks and breaks.

The 20 miles of mains being replaced this year is three times what the city has done in recent years. Joliet has 685 miles of water mains.

One goal of the program is to replace all mains built before 1950. Aging mains are blamed for much of the city’s water loss, which amounts to about a third of the water generated by the city.

Nonrevenue water, which is any water generated by the city that is not paid for by a customer, was at 32.6% in 2021. That was down from 35%.

“We still have a lot of work to do,” Utilities Director Allison Swisher said. “But I think the work we do is going to reduce the nonrevenue water.”

Joliet eventually needs to reduce reduce nonrevenue water to 10% to meet regulatory standards as the city switches from its deep-water wells to Lake Michigan water by 2030.

In January, the city awarded five contracts totaling about $9 million for water main replacements. They included:

• $2.3 million to Steve Spiess Construction for a Fairview project to replaces sections of mains along Fairview Avenue, Englewood Avenue, Arthur Avenue, Juniper Street and Garvin Street.

• $1.3 million to Austin Tyler Construction for a Ridgewood project to replace sections of mains along High Street, Fairbanks Avenue, North Hebbard Street, Krakar Avenue, Scribner Street, Ridgewood Avenue and Elgin Avenue.

• $2.6 million to P.T. Ferro Construction Co. for a West Acres project to replace sections of mains along Mayfield Avenue, Taylor Street, West Acres Road and North Midland Avenue.

• $1.8 million to Camco Inc. for an Ed Walsh Subdivision project to replace sections of mains on Palladium Drive, East Palladium Drive, Lavinia Lane, Lois Place and Douglas Street.

• $1.1 million for a Buell-Western-Reed project to replace sections of mains along Buell Avenue, Western Avenue and North Reed Street.