‘No Bigger Issue’: Glencoe commissions study to inform future of water supply

As Glencoe officials look to determine what the future of the village’s water supply might look like, the Village Board last week unanimously approved a contract with an engineering firm to conduct a water supply analysis.

The $150,000 contract with Burns & McDonnell Engineering Company, of Chicago, was approved at the board’s regular meeting on Thursday, Sept. 18.

At recent public meetings, local officials have stated that the future of the Glencoe water plant is a top priority for the Village. Monica Sarna, the Village’s public works director, wrote in a recent memo to the board that in 2024 the Village held a water workshop for both trustees and the public “to re-engage in discussions about the future of Glencoe’s water supply.”

The three primary options presented during the workshop were:

• Continue to invest in Glencoe’s existing water plant,

• Identify a new location for a replacement plant, or

• Secure an alternative water source through a partnership with another community or agency.

Sarna wrote in her memo that Glencoe “has a long history of studying alternative water supply sources,” but none of the previous studies have examined the western boundaries of the community.”

“As neighboring communities and agencies explore different options for the future of their water supply, a western water connection is now worth studying,” she wrote.

While this will be the first time the Village has worked with Burns & McDonnell, Sarna told the board at the meeting that the firm has helped other communities in Illinois with water-supply transitions.

“We want to use this data, and this consultant, as a resource to help guide ongoing water supply discussions,” she said.

Village President Howard Roin restated the importance of the study.

“I think all of you on the board agree that there is no bigger issue for us than what we do on our water system going forward,” he said. “There is nothing more important in the Village, nothing is going to be more expensive, there’s nothing that will have more impact on the future.”

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