He provided a picture of the history and current capabilities of the system. The system was developed in 1892 as part of an effort that included the construction of the historic water tower at Hillgrove and Lawn Avenues. Between 1924 and 1930, the system was expanded and the water softening and treatment plant was built at Hillgrove and Johnson Avenues. A well was abandoned in the 1980s and digging a fifth well has been discussed for years. Three wells currently supply the system.
Treatment consists of softening, filtration and chlorination.
The Village's water storage capacity includes the 1-million gallon tank at Spring Rock Park, the Garden Market tank and a 500,000 gallon reservoir at the water plant. The Village explored the possibility of switching to Lake Michigan water three times in the past 15 years, Mr. Higgins reported, but decided the cost and quality of well water and the Village's ability to control its own supply make pursuing lake water unattractive. Committee Member John Madell and Bill Dougherty spoke about some of the problems with the current system, including uneven treatment of water caused by daily starting and stopping of the system, the age of the wells and equipment and outdated software that controls the water treatment plant. Improvements to the system will be divided into three phases, with the first two phases consisting of replacing old equipment. The proposed third phase would convert the water treatment facility into a continuously run system.