Governor Quinn Announces $287,000 Wastewater Project for Village of Ashton

ASHTON - Governor Pat Quinn today announced a $287,000 investment to improve wastewater systems in the Village of Ashton. This announcement is part of Governor Quinn's agenda to drive Illinois' economy forward and protect the environment by modernizing Illinois' water infrastructure. Funded by a low-interest loan through Governor Quinn's Illinois Clean Water Initiative, this investment will fund improvements to help reduce backups experienced during heavy rains.

"Help is on the way for Ashton to reduce the backups the village experiences during heavy rains," Governor Quinn said. "That's what our Clean Water Initiative is all about, helping make communities like Ashton even better places to live and work."

The Village of Ashton will use the Clean Water Initiative loan to implement Phase 2 of the West Side Trunk Sewer project, which includes new sanitary sewers and manholes. The project will allow the village to offload existing sewers in the northwest part of the village, an area that experiences backups during wet weather periods. The new sewers will also allow for the elimination of a poorly aligned sewer along with two pump stations and provide future sewer capacity for areas targeted for development along Illinois Route 38. The project also reduces operational costs of the two pump stations that will be eliminated.

"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."

Ashton receives an additional benefit the Governor's Clean Water Initiative as these subsidized loans result in additional savings over the life of the loans. The wastewater project is expected to last through February 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 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 storm water management and treatment projects.

According to the U.S. EPA, it is estimated the water infrastructure needs in Illinois over the next 20 years will 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 $767 million 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.