TRANSMITTAL LETTER FOR BOARD MEETING OF AUGUST 10, 2023
COMMITTEE ON STORMWATER MANAGEMENT
Mr. Brian A. Perkovich, Executive Director
Title
Authority to execute Intergovernmental Agreements to assist various local municipalities with the condition assessment and the rehabilitation of sanitary sewers
Body
Dear Sir:
During March 2022 and 2023, the District learned that $1,500,000.00 and $3,500,000.00 in Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) funds were allocated for use by the District under the Fiscal Year 2022 and 2023 Omnibus Appropriations Bills that were signed into law by President Joe Biden. These funds will be used to provide direct assistance to the Cities of Country Club Hills, Harvey, and Markham and the Villages of Bellwood, Dolton, Ford Heights, Hazel Crest, Riverdale, and Stone Park with assessing the condition of their high-risk sanitary sewers and repairing defects that are identified during the condition assessment.
Each of these municipalities owns separate sanitary sewer systems. Under the Short-Term Requirements of the District’s Infiltration and Inflow Control Program (IICP), all municipalities in the District owning separate sewer systems are required to identify their high-risk sanitary sewers, which are typically comprised of ten percent of the entire sanitary system. The assessments document the condition of the sewers, manholes, and lift stations in high-risk portions of the system. Once completed, severe defects that have been identified must be corrected. Obtaining funding for this work is often an obstacle for many municipalities. Therefore, the EPA funds were requested by the District to assist Bellwood, Country Club Hills, Dolton, Ford Heights, Harvey, Hazel Crest, Markham, Riverdale, and Stone Park to complete their Short-Term Requirements and come into compliance with the IICP. These nine communities were selected due to their sewer systems’ need for condition assessment and corrective action and their being located in predominantly Environmental Justice areas.
In order to facilitate efficient use of these funds, the District will contract for condition assessment and rehabilitation services directly. Authorization from the municipalities is required for the District’s contractor to perform work in the local sewer systems. Therefore, individual Intergovernmental Agreements (IGAs) with each municipality need to be executed in advance of condition assessment work.
The Board of Commissioners previously authorized the District to negotiate the IGAs at the April 7, 2022 and June 1, 2023 Board Meetings.
It is respectfully requested that the Board of Commissioners grant authority to execute the IGAs with the Cities of Country Club Hills, Harvey, and Markham and the Villages of Bellwood, Dolton, Ford Heights, Hazel Crest, Riverdale, and Stone Park, and that the Chairman of the Committee of Finance, Executive Director and Clerk be authorized to execute said IGAs on behalf of the District upon approval by the Director of Engineering as to technical matters and by the General Counsel as to form and legality.
Requested, Catherine A. O’Connor, Director of Engineering, KMF:MD
Recommended, Brian A. Perkovich, Executive Director
Disposition of this agenda item will be documented in the official Regular Board Meeting Minutes of the Board of Commissioners for August 10, 2023