Decades-old part of Yorkville infrastructure being dug up and replaced in $4.5 million construction project

Some of the water piping underneath the feet of Yorkville residents is receiving its first makeover since before the Great Depression.

Around 9,000 feet of water main is being replaced after the City Council approved the $4.5 million project at its Feb. 25 meeting.

One section of the project will replace pipes first put underground in 1929, two years after the death of John Redman Marshall, who founded the Kendall County Record in Yorkville in 1864.

The second oldest section of the project contains water pipes dating back to 1972.

Replacing underground infrastructure can be pricey for municipalities, so they often delay replacing aging utilities until they receive the opportunity to share the cost burdens with state funding.

The vast majority of the 2025 Water Main Replacement project will most likely be covered by an Illinois Environmental Protection Agency loan.

Besides replacing the water main infrastructure and engineering, the project will also involve upgrading sidewalk and roadway-related work.

City engineer Brad Sanderson said during the Feb. 18 Public Works Committee meeting that improving water-related infrastructure throughout the city is necessary for the $100.2 million Lake Michigan water sourcing project. The improvements will ensure any new incoming water is not lost through inefficiencies like water leaks and broken meters.

The city has already applied for a loan for the project with the IEPA for $4,236,000, with a likely 1.9% interest rate.

Full approval of the bid is contingent on the IEPA approving Yorkville’s loan application.

To cover the project’s full costs, the city can then either attempt to re-negotiate with the IEPA to increase the loan amount, or they can cover the costs or scale down the total project.

None of the projected water main construction is expected to go under Route 47, so traffic along that route should not be impacted from the construction.

City officials currently expect the IEPA loan to be approved and the final project and bid approval to come back before City Council within the next couple months.