Work Under Way for New Itasca, Ill., Wastewater Treatment Plant

Work is under way for a new wastewater treatment plant in Itasca, Ill. Designed by Baxter & Woodman, Inc., Chicago, and constructed by Williams Brothers Construction, Inc., Peoria, Ill., the two-year project will boost the local economy and create hundreds of new jobs.

The $35-million plant will boost the village’s wastewater treatment capacity from 2.65 million gallons per day to 4.0 million in order to support residential, commercial and industrial growth.

The project will build a new treatment plant and demolish the existing facility. Baxter & Woodman, Inc. worked with the village to find funding for the improvements. The project is funded in part by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency’s (IEPA) Water Pollution Control Loan Program, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), and bonds issued under the Buy American Program. The Village will borrow $20 million from the IEPA programs, but will pay back only $15 million.

Under the ARRA program, $5 million of the $20-million debt will be forgiven. That means Itasca will pay back just $15 million at 0% interest over the next 20 years.

Baxter & Woodman, Inc. also helped the village gain consensus from stakeholders, including: The Conservation Foundation, Sierra Club, Prairie Rivers Network, Salt Creek Watershed Network, Illinois Dept. of Natural Resources, and Illinois Environmental Protection Agency.