JOLIET, IL – Will County board members and residents of the Ridgewood subdivision in Joliet are hopeful that they will soon see further progress towards resolving the sewage and water woes that have plagued the neighborhood for years.

Two of the major problems that the residents of Ridgewood face are the lack of a sewage infrastructure and contaminated water. Currently, most residents utilize septic systems that date back to the turn of the century. The sewage from homes in the area drains down into multiple clay pipes which then empty directly into Hickory Creek. Residents often see raw sewage in their streets.

The community also uses well water which is threatened by contamination. All of this, combined with the enormous cost of rehabilitation and the fact that Ridgewood straddles the unincorporated Will/Joliet line, makes a very complex situation.

There are five phases to the project and funding has yet to be secured for phases three and five. Phases one and two are completed, with the City of Joliet addressing phase 4.

“We’re working hard to get funding through all available avenues,” said Minority Whip Frank Stewart (D-Joliet), who also advocates for the needed resources as an active member of the National Association of County Officials. “We’ve got all of our lines in the water and hopefully we’ll get something soon. Ridgewood is one of our top priorities.”

Phases three and five are next on the project slate and involve bringing water to a section of houses commonly known as the South Ridgewood sanitary district. These houses have a new sewer system but still lack assured clean water sources.

“This is a huge project with many challenging pieces of infrastructure to fix,” said board member Steve Wilhelmi (D-Joliet). “The city of Joliet has been extremely helpful during this and we’re really making progress toward helping to provide a long-term solution for Ridgewood’s residents.”

All sewage from the area will be treated at a Joliet sanitary treatment facility and all homes will pay a service fee.

“We are working very hard on this,” said Ron Pullman, Community Development Director for the county’s Land Use Department. “It’s something that gets more costly and difficult the longer you wait.”

The county has secured $550,000 from the State and Tribal Grant (STAG) program and will be matching that with a $450,000 Housing and Urban Development Block Grant. Ridgewood is considered a shovel ready project, and the county is hoping to secure some federal stimulus money to fill in the remaining gap in the $3.5 million dollar cost of phases three and five.

“There are a lot of facets to this project,” said board member Denise Winfrey (D-Joliet) “Securing the funding is the key component to bringing this project to completion. We are diligently working to get those funds for the residents of Ridgewood.”

The entire cost of the project from phase one to phase five is around $19 million dollars and that does not include the cost of drains for storm water, roads, curbs or gutters.
 

-by Andrew Mack

###