Naperville is on track to complete upgrades to its wastewater treatment facility by its state-mandated deadline of 2030, according to a city official.
“This is the largest capital project in the city’s history,” said Darrell Blenniss, Director of Public Utilities – Water for Naperville.
The $190 million, multi-year project for the Springbrook Water Reclamation Center aims to replace aging infrastructure, expand the facility’s capacity to meet long-term demands and ensure compliance with Illinois Environmental Protection Agency standards.
Specifically, Naperville has to reduce the amount of phosphorus it dumps into the DuPage River through the facility.
When excessive amounts of phosphorus enter streams, it can create algae blooms that damage aquatic life and impair water quality, Blenniss explained. That phosphorus-laden water not only negatively affects local wildlife, but also has broader consequences.
Because the DuPage River ultimately flows into the Gulf of Mexico, phosphorus from the river contributes to high levels of algae in the gulf that make it difficult for sea creatures to survive.
“Any phosphorus reductions that we could do here also helps with the algal bloom problem that they’re having in the Gulf of Mexico,” Blenniss said.
Prior to 2011, Illinois municipalities were not required to remove phosphorus from wastewater before dumping it, but the U.S. EPA that year sent Illinois a letter of noncompliance and asked the state to start addressing the problem, according to previous reporting.
“I think there’s been a lot of support in the community. I think they understand that this is a critical asset, and we have to make these investments,” Blenniss said. “We need to keep up with capacity for future demands and the infrastructure — some of it’s pretty old. I think the last major improvements (were) in the late 1990s, so it’s been quite a while since we’ve improved some of that infrastructure.”
Springbrook has a north plant and a south plant. Much of the construction so far has focused on the south plant while the city finishes up design for the north plant improvements. Blenniss said he expects that the north plant project, which will include new phosphorus removal technology, will go out to bid for construction either later this year or early next year.
So far, the city has completed several major components of the Springbrook improvement project, including adding in an ultraviolet disinfection system that replaced the facility’s old chlorine disinfection system and adding new pumps at the influent pump station.
At the same time, the city is expanding the plant’s south treatment facility, which will eventually handle a greater share of the overall flow coming into Springbrook. Currently, about 85% of wastewater is treated at the north plant and 15% at the south plant. Once upgrades are complete, Blenniss said that split is expected to move closer to 50-50, increasing overall capacity.
Current construction at Springbrook includes installing a second biosolids holding tank at the facility, which Blenniss said will provide operational flexibility at the center. Work on the tank is expected to be completed at the end of the year.
Other current construction projects include new equipment to help remove sand, dirt and other large items from incoming wastewater, which will help preserve the lifespan of pumps at the center.
Despite the scale and complexity of the project, Blenniss said that the project has not run into any major challenges, which he attributes to the project’s extensive planning that began in 2020.
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The project is primarily funded by municipal bonds and water utility rates, but U.S. Rep. Bill Foster, D-Naperville, last month secured over $1 million to help fund the project. Warrenville, which accounts for about 7% of water flow into the plant annually, is also paying its proportional share of the project.
Blenniss noted that while there have been wastewater rate increases that have corresponded with the improvement project, including a 10% increase in wastewater rates that went into effect this year, he said that the Naperville community has largely been understanding of the investment into the Springbrook project.
“We get our drinking water, and then when you consume the drinking water, it goes down the drain, right?” Blenniss said. “It’s one of those things that’s often forgotten about because it’s out of sight, out of mind, but people use this service every day in their home, in business, and we want to make sure that it continues to operate without any issue.”