Central Lake County Joint Action Water Authority

Agency History

The Central Lake County Joint Action Water Agency (CLCJAWA) is composed of nine members representing 12 communities in Lake County, Illinois. Before the formation of CLCJAWA, these communities obtained drinking water from groundwater aquifers or purchased treated Lake Michigan water from other communities. Faced with diminishing quantity and quality of groundwater as well as rising costs of lake water, the communities joined together in 1986 to organize CLCJAWA. Under the leadership of Paul M. Neal, then the mayor of Libertyville, the group explored all options. The final decision was unanimous. The group determined that the most cost-effective method of providing a safe and reliable source of water for its residents was the ownership of a water treatment and supply system using Lake Michigan water as the source. By joining together, they formed a unique intergovernmental cooperative that could own and operate a completely independent water system, freeing the member communities of the need to either purchase water from neighboring communities or to rely on dwindling groundwater supplies. More importantly, the arrangement would allow them to control their own destinies by managing the pricing, quality, and availability of their water supply openly and independently. Following final design and a 29-month construction schedule, the Agency's Lake Michigan water supply system became operational in March, 1992.

Timeline

1981	Six central Lake County, Illinois communities form an intergovernmental cooperative to explore the feasibility of creating a regional drinking water agency.
1982	Camp Dresser & McKee, Inc. (CDM) is retained to undertake a feasibility study of obtaining Lake Michigan water for the communities in the intergovernmental group.
1986	Central Lake County Joint Action Water Agency is formed as a municipal corporation under the Intergovernmental Cooperation Act of the State of Illinois, with the power to sell bonds and levy taxes.
1990	$125 million construction project begins on intake pipeline into Lake Michigan, a new raw water pump station, water treatment facility, booster pump station, 2 miles of raw water transmission pipeline and 32 miles of finished water transmission pipeline, two standpipes and 15 metering vaults (delivery structures).
1991	Steel Tank of the Year Award for the standpipes from the Steel Plate Fabricators Association.
1992	Operations commence in March at Illinois’ first water treatment plant to use ozone pre-treatment, inclined plate settlers and granular activated carbon filters delivering treated Lake Michigan water to 12 communities with an estimated population of 125,000.
1993	Outstanding Engineering Achievement Award from the Illinois Society of Professional Engineers Honor Award for Planning from the American Academy of Environmental Engineers Engineering Excellence Award from the Consulting Engineers Council of Illinois
1999	Construction begins on Phase I water treatment improvements to expand the treatment capacity from 37.5 mgd to 50 mgd. A third 3.2 million gallon standpipe is constructed at the booster pump station in Libertyville.
2000	Top Ten Public Works Projects of the 20th Century Award from the Chicago Metropolitan Chapter of the American Public Works Association.
2002	Construction begins on Phase II water treatment improvements to increase finished water pumping capacity, and to add an ultraviolet light disinfection system, natural gas powered electric generation, residual solids removal using centrifuges, and additional system storage with a 1.5 million gallon elevated water tank in Grayslake.
2003	AWWA Opflow Gimmicks and Gadgets First Place Award.
2005	Paul M. Neal Water Treatment Facility receives the Partnership for Safe Water Phase IV certification, “Excellence in Drinking Water”.