Extra $100k needed to connect Heartland Meadows homes in Yorkville to new water pipes

Excavators for the $642,683 Bluestem Water Main replacement project in Yorkville found an expensive error.

The pipeline they were searching for falls short – about 175 feet short to be exact. To complete the project, engineers are requesting the city spend another $100,000 on the pipeline.

The water main replacement project is designed to improve water flow from one side of town to the reaches of the Heartland Meadows subdivision. Construction crews are working from Bluestem Drive from McHugh Road to Prairie Rose Lane.

The project is part of a larger effort by the city to replace extremely old water mains to help reduce water losses. Reducing water loss is a requirement of Yorkville’s $100 million agreement to bring Lake Michigan water infrastructure to the city with the DuPage Water Commission.

The pipeline excavators found existing pipelines smaller than the 12-inch water mains that the city needs to accommodate the high water demands for the region’s booming population. The right-sized pipeline that currently runs along McHugh Road ends 175 feet short of the Bluestem Drive destination.

The Yorkville City Council is deciding whether to approve the extra $100,000 at its Aug. 13 meeting. Council members previously approved the original contract with Winninger Excavating, Inc. Approving the increases would bring the project’s price tag to $742,683.34.

“For system operating efficiency, it is important to ensure that all water main along this stretch is adequately sized to reduce head loss and to allow water to flow from one end of the city to the other,” city engineer Brad Sanderson states in city documents.

The project is currently under construction, leaving the last 175 feet all that’s left of the required underground work.

Workers have already installed 715 feet of 16-inch iron water main piping.

The total project also includes curb removal and replacement, sidewalk removal and replacement, paving improvements and landscaping restoration.

New fire hydrants are being installed along the new water main route.

During the remaining construction, residents are expected to experience continued disruptions to water service, traffic, parking and access to properties in the area.