Water conservation efforts and future infrastructure projects were among the highlights of a report detailing the latest work of Deerfield’s Department of Public Works and Engineering.
In a report presented to the Village Board of Trustees on July 16, the department outlined their work during the first six months of the year along with plans for the future.
When Bob Phillips, acting director of public works and engineering, learned the Edens spur to the Tri-State Tollway was scheduled for reconstruction from Interstate 294 to Highway 41 over a three-year period starting in 2019, he said he saw an opportunity to partner with Northbrook on an emergency water sharing project.
With the work going on at the toll road, Phillips said it became feasible to dig a water main tunnel under the roadway that would connect Deerfield’s water supply with Northbrook’s. In the event one of the communities is unable to use its own source of water, it can draw from the other.
“Our water can pass through the village and also feed Northbrook,” Phillips said. “Northbrook has a two-zone system. It could feed from that one zone if we had problems.”
Deerfield buys its water from Highland Park, while Northbrook has its own pumping station on Lake Michigan. The cost of the new water main is $424,000 shared equally between the villages. The cost of rebuilding the spur will be borne by the state.
Since 2015, the village has reduced wasted water by nearly 20 percent, according to the report. Phillips said the reduction primarily comes from repairing and rebuilding the town’s water mains.
“In 2006 we had 140 water main breaks,” Phillips said. “Now it’s 50.”
Water main reconstruction along with sewer and roadwork will continue next summer.
There are two significant projects the village is handling. Expected to cost $2.5 million, Greenwood Avenue will be rebuilt or resurfaced between Wilmot and Waukegan roads. Water and sewer infrastructure will be redone over the same stretch.
Another area scheduled for construction is the Woodland Park subdivision, according to Phillips. He said Woodland Drive and three other streets in the subdivision will be improved along with the necessary water and sewer work.
Another area of municipal cooperation involves the efforts of Deerfield, Highland Park, Lake Forest, the Lake County Stormwater Management Commission and the United States Army Corps of Engineers to better control flooding along the Middle Fork of the North Branch of the Chicago River.
“We’re looking at retaining walls and retention systems to reduce the flooding,” Phillips said.
At this point, Phillips said the group is continuing to look at options.
Mayor Harriet Rosenthal said she was pleased the village has planted 1,032 trees in the past year to replace approximately 1,400 ash trees that had to be removed because of the Emerald Ash Borer beetle.
“Over the years where we’ve had the problem with the ash borer we have replaced 1,032 trees in the village,” Rosenthal said. “I think it was an incredible number and I’m glad we were able to do it. Good job. I think you passed the test.”
Parking Garage Approved
In other business, the board unanimously approved a special use permit allowing the owners of the office building at 1717 Deerfield Road to construct a parking garage to allow more people working there to have spaces for their vehicles.
The agreement between the village and the property owner requires certain landscaping work to be done before the garage can be built.
