Water
$400M, 30-Mile Illinois Water Pipeline Moves Forward
Construction of the WaterLink pipeline is expected to continue through 2028
Completion of the 30-mile-long pipeline to provide Lake Michigan water to three communities in Chicago's far western suburbs is slated for completion in 2028.
Construction is underway on a $400-million, 30-mile-long pipeline planned to bring Lake Michigan water to the communities of Montgomery, Oswego and Yorkville, Ill., in far west suburban Chicago.
The WaterLink project, which broke ground officially on June 10, is expected to supply drinking water for approximately 90,000 residents, extend the Lake Michigan water service region, and replace reliance on a depleting aquifer.
Burns & McDonnell is providing program management and construction observation on behalf of the pipeline owner-operator, the DuPage Water Commission, supporting 12 contract packages across several counties and jurisdictions. The project is using a design-bid-build delivery method across the packages, resulting in smaller segments being individually competitively bid and built by general contractors.
The project is the result of nearly a decade of study of future water needs during which the communities determined that their current water source, the Ironton‑Galesville deep sandstone aquifer, will be unable to meet projected demand as early as 2050.
“WaterLink includes up to 54-in. transmission mains routed through established communities, ComEd rights-of-way and major highway, railroad, utility, and river crossings. Eleven of the 30 miles of transmission main are routed in ComEd utility easements, reducing project costs, timeline and construction impact on the communities,” says Paul May, general manager of the water commission, in an email.
“WaterLink brings together the technical complexity and community purpose that define critical infrastructure,” adds Joe Darlington, WaterLink program manager at Burns & McDonnell, noting that the project will require coordination with many stakeholders.
In 2021, following technical, financial and environmental analysis, the municipalities formally partnered to pursue a new water source and identified Lake Michigan water delivered through the water commission as the new source.
Burns & McDonnell says the project includes multiple municipal delivery points and requires complex infrastructure work spanning residential neighborhoods, roadways and utility easements. Construction began in December 2025 and will continue through 2028, paid for by a combination of federal loans and local funding.
The main starts in the western suburb of Naperville, Ill. and runs west crossing major highways and the Fox River before reaching the destination communities. The project is expected to continue through 2028.
Other contractors involved in the project include: Arcadis, Bowman Consulting Group, Christopher B. Burke Engineering, LAN (Lockwood, Andrews & Newman), Robinson Engineering, Stanley Consultants, Benchmark Construction Co., Airy's Inc. and Water Well Solutions Illinois Division.
