Oswego School Board OKs easements for construction of pipeline for Lake Michigan water

Oswego School District 308 has given the green light to providing temporary construction and permanent easements for a water line to provide Lake Michigan drinking water to Oswego, Yorkville and Montgomery.

To provide Lake Michigan water to the three communities, the DuPage Water Commission will install a 30-mile water pipeline extension up to 54” in diameter.

“This will require both temporary easements for the construction of the pipeline and permanent easements for the pipeline and related equipment, primarily underground,” Oswego School District Chief Financial Officer/Chief School Business Official Raphael Obafemi told school board members.

At the July 7 Oswego School Board meeting, board members approved temporary and permanent easements at Oswego East High School and Boulder Hill Elementary School. At Oswego East, the easements will follow the eastern and southern edges of the campus, measuring 1.371 acres for the permanent easement and 2.996 acres for the temporary easement.

At Boulder Hill, the easements will be adjacent to the Commonwealth Edison right of way, measuring 0.084 acres for the permanent easement and 1.371 acres for the temporary easement.

“Construction will be coordinated with the administration to ensure the safety of schoolchildren and staff,” Obafemi said.

He added that the DuPage Water Commission’s contractors will be responsible for full restoration of the property upon completion of construction.

The pipeline will be installed without any cost to Oswego School District.

Lake Michigan water is needed because the village’s aquifers are depleting.

“Since 2014, the village has really been on notice from the Illinois State Water Survey that our aquifers are depleting and not replenishing,” Oswego Village Administrator Dan Di Santo has said. “And by 2033, our wells will be in significant decline and we could have inoperability of our well system. So we’ve known since then that we need to find an alternate water source.”

The plan is to bring Lake Michigan water to Oswego by 2028.