Governor Quinn Announces Investment for the Village of Carpentersville

CARPENTERSVILLE - Governor Pat Quinn today announced a $2.27 million investment in wastewater system improvements to the Village of Carpentersville. Funded by a low-interest loan through the Governor's Illinois Clean Water Initiative, the project will also create 42 direct jobs in the community. Today's announcement is part of Governor Quinn's agenda to drive Illinois' economy forward and protect the environment by modernizing Illinois' water infrastructure.

"This project will ensure safe and reliable wastewater service for residents in the Carpentersville area," Governor Quinn said. "That's what our Clean Water Initiative is all about, helping make communities like Carpentersville even better places to live and work."

Carpentersville will use the proceeds of the Clean Water Initiative loan to replace existing wastewater treatment equipment with two new centrifuges. This will enable the Village's wastewater treatment plant to operate more efficiently.

"Improving and upgrading these systems is essential for communities facing aging infrastructure that cannot continue to meet residents' needs," Illinois EPA Director Lisa Bonnett said. "The Illinois EPA is proud to partner with communities on these projects that are necessary for protecting residents and the environment."

"New regulations require us to dry our waste much more than previous standards did, and we now have a much shorter period of months in which to haul the dried waste to farm fields. The new centrifuge system will allow us to comply with the new regulations and will reduce our shipping costs because the drier waste weighs less, and costs are based on the weight of the product," Village President Ed Ritter said. "Also, our old equipment was very near the end of its useful life and often out of service for repairs."

Carpentersville receives additional benefits from the Governor's Clean Water Initiative as the subsidized loan results in additional savings over the life of the loan. The project is expected to go through the fall of 2015.

Governor Quinn first launched the Illinois Clean Water Initiative in his 2012 State of the State Address to help local governments rebuild or repair clean water infrastructure, including our aging wastewater and drinking water treatment systems and plants throughout the state. These projects ensure that facilities are being upgraded to protect our streams and rivers, our drinking water supplies and the environment as a whole. In July, Governor Quinn signed legislation that doubles Clean Water Initiative funding to $2 billion and expands the program to include stormwater management and treatment projects.

According to the U.S. EPA it is estimated the total water infrastructure needs in Illinois over the next 20 years total $32 billion, including $17 billion in wastewater projects (which is the 6th highest among the states) and $15 billion in drinking water projects (4th highest need in the nation). To date, more than $1 billion in wastewater and drinking water loans have been awarded under the Illinois Clean Water Initiative.

To learn more about Governor Quinn's Illinois Clean Water Initiative, visit CleanWater.Illinois.gov.