In the last six years, Sleepy Hollow has had 47 breaks in its water mains, most of which date back to when the village was founded in 1958.
The plan is to replace one along Hillcrest Drive this year at a cost of nearly $1 million, another in 2028 and a third in 2030, but finding the money for the entirety of the work needed is the dilemma being faced by a town that has just 3,100 or so residents, officials say.
“Rumor has it that village founder Floyd Falese bought used lines from the city of Chicago. But we haven’t found any records to confirm that,” said Bill Hof, a village board trustee and chair of the board’s Finance Committee, which meets Thursday afternoon to discuss the situation.
Most of the breaks have been along or near Hillcrest Drive and Winmoor Drive so they’re tackling those areas first, Hof said.
With engineering and permitting approved by the board, the plan is to obtain bids for the Hillcrest job so work can start in July and be done by Thanksgiving, he said. Officials expect the cost to replace a half mile of pipeline between Thorobred Lane and Locust Drive to cost about $966,000, or roughly $350 per linear foot.
Iron pipes typically last about 40 to 60 years. Contributing to the rust and deterioration of the village mains is not just their age but the fact that Sleepy Hollow’s soil is mostly soft and partially peaty, Hof said.
They will be replaced with high-density polyethylene pipe, which doesn’t corrode, has more flexibility and durability, is easier to bore and typically lasts 50 to 100 years, he said.
Of the village’s 1,207 homes, 1,050 homes are part of the village’s water system and the rest use well water. The village obtains its water from the city of Elgin at a rate of about $10 per 1,000 gallons, Hof said.
The village is building its reserves for the work ahead and plans to seek a low-interest loan from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. They will need to look at increasing water rates as well, he said.
Hof, who has lived in Sleepy Hollow for 34 years, noted that inflation is a factor to consider. The cost the village expects to pay for the Hillcrest line is more than double the $150 per linear foot they paid for a water main replacement in 2014, he said.
If they delay doing the work, like some towns have chosen to do, it might only lead to bigger problems and bigger costs down the road, he said.
“Doing the project now will sting, but it will sting much more if we wait to do it,” Hof said.
Mike Danahey is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
