While speaking at a Monday City Club of Chicago event, Illinois Environmental Protection Agency Director Lisa Bonnett praised the Illinois Finance Authority for providing funding that has allowed the state to make crucial updates to its aging water infrastructure.
With the assistance of IFA bonding, the state since 2012 has invested $2 billion in the Illinois Clean Water Initiative, Bonnett said. The program provides Illinois municipalities with affordable loans to fund updates to wastewater treatment facilities, water mains, sewers and drinking water facilities. Bonnett said more than 56,000 direct and related jobs have been generated as a result of the ICWI.
“Gov. Quinn understands the challenges communities are facing to ensure their water infrastructure is compliant with [federal] water quality standards,” Bonnet said. “And he understands that having modern and sufficient infrastructure is a must for residential and commercial growth.”
Despite the state’s recent investment in infrastructure updates, Bonnett said work on Illinois’ water infrastructure is far from finished. She explained that a recent U.S. Environmental Protection Agency survey revealed Illinois needs $17 billion in wastewater facility upgrades over the next 20 years. Only five other states had greater needs, the survey found. According to the survey, Illinois also needs $15 billion in drinking water facility improvements, the fourth-highest need among the 50 states.
“I greatly appreciate the expertise and vision that [Executive Director Chris Meister] and the IFA Board and staff bring to our water infrastructure program,” Bonnet said. “I look forward to a long partnership with the IFA as we are only getting started in effectively using the assets of the clean water initiative.”
Chicago-area ICWI projects include work for the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District’s Tunnel and Reservoir Plan and updates at MWRD’s O’Brien and Calumet water reclamation plants.
-Tom Butala