Homer Glen will decide within the next two months if the village wants to partner with the city of Joliet and join its new water commission, but officials said in preliminary discussions they believe the venture would be too costly and not provide residents with relief toward high water bills.

Instead, they are hoping for success in a yearslong legal effort as one of five members of the Northern Will County Water Agency that have filed a condemnation lawsuit against its water supplier over the high cost of water.

The Water Agency sued American Lake Water Company and Illinois American Water in 2014, and the case was recently continued until June. American Lake Water Company is a sister company to Illinois American Water and owner and operator of the transmission pipeline that brings Lake Michigan water to Homer Glen and Bolingbrook, and a small number of customers in Romeoville, Lemont and Woodridge. Some of the recent court delays have been due to COVID-19 restrictions.

“We need a water messiah to fix the problem that was created here over 20 years ago,” Homer Glen Trustee Dan Fialko said. “We haven’t found that yet.”

While Homer Glen residents complain about high water bills, they are not the customers in the Southland experiencing water woes. Municipalities are actively working to meet water demand and provide safe and reliable service, seeking regional solutions and partnerships to help keep prices down.

Joliet officials have been looking for alternative water sources to its aquifers, which are being depleted and are not expected to meet needs of its residents within the next decade. As a result, the city plans to pump in Lake Michigan water from Chicago by 2030.

Joliet has reached out to nearby communities including Homer Glen, Lemont, Minooka, Montgomery and Romeoville to see if they would join a regional water

commission.

Joliet is asking other municipalities to decide by the end of January. Homer Glen officials said this month they may vote as early as their Dec. 8 meeting on whether to partner with Joliet.

Officials in other communities, including Lemont and Romeoville, are weighing their options and have not yet made a decision about Joliet.

Lemont village administrator George Schafer said his board will review all options in December and January and will respect Joliet’s timeline. Even if the village opts not to join with Joliet, it supports the its water commission, he said.

“We are stronger as a region when we look out for each other,” Schafer said.

Likewise, Romeoville is considering various water options. In addition to Joliet’s regional water commission, the village is considering the DuPage Water Commission and Northern Will County Water Agency, Mayor John Noak said. No matter which option is chosen, Lake Michigan water will not reach Romeoville until sometime between 2028 and 2040.

Joliet has not received a decision from any of the municipalities officials have reach out to, said Allison Swisher, the city’s director of public utilities.

Homer Glen officials know that the price of water is a major concern for residents and have been actively working for more than a decade to control water prices.

In 2011, Bolingbrook, Homer Glen, Lemont, Romeoville and Woodridge teamed up to form the Northern Will County Water Agency to help stabilize and control water rate increases and explore the feasibility of acquiring the American Lake Water/Illinois American Water transmission line from Bedford Park.

The financial commitment of the water agency is based on the number of Illinois American customers in each community, with Bolingbrook at nearly 79% and Homer Glen making up nearly 21%.

Lemont, Romeoville and Woodridge combined are responsible for less than 1% of the agency’s costs, because only small sections of their villages are serviced by Illinois American Water.

The condemnation of the water transmission pipeline has been an expensive and lengthy legal process, said Kevin Hillen, senior operations manager of the Northern Division for Illinois American Water.

“Our experts’ valuation of the assets (being condemned) differs significantly from the valuation performed by the Water Agency’s experts,” Hillen said in a statement. “Ultimately, the jury in the upcoming trial will consider this evidence and determine what the amount of just compensation should be. This determination will dictate the amount the Water Agency and five municipalities would pay if they choose to move forward and acquire the water transmission pipeline.”

Homer Glen Mayor George Yukich, who is the chairman of the Northern Will County Water Agency, said he worries the court case will continue to be delayed. However, he said he believes partnering with Joliet would be a mistake. While it has been a long legal battle, the water agency will not back off from its lawsuit and hopes to purchase the Bedford Park transmission line, Yukich said.

“Am I happy with Illinois American Water?” he asked. “They service us fine, but the price is absolutely ridiculous.”

Homer Glen interim village manager Matt Walsh said the village’s priority is the cost of water for its residents and said officials have actively explored all options. The goal is to provide water as cheaply as possible and manage yearly rate increases.

Walsh said it could cost the village more than $50 million to connect waterlines with Joliet as part of the Joliet water commission. While it could help future development, it would likely not help current Illinois American Water customers, he said. The Joliet line wouldn’t be operational for about 10 years, he said.

Fialko said that a potential partnership with the Joliet water commission only muddies the waters. Paying for both the Joliet pipeline and Illinois American Water does not make sense, he said.

“We have the Illinois American Water battle before us that has to be resolved,” Fialko said. “Getting into this project (with Joliet) now just confuses the taxpayer. It would end up costing the taxpayer more money and not getting any immediate benefit from it like reducing the cost of the water. That is what everybody wants.”

Michelle Mullins is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.