The project team is composed of the Commission supported by Morton Grove and Niles staff members and an independent consulting engineering firm and its subcontractors. You can learn more about the Commission on the About the Commission page.

The Villages of Morton Grove and Niles have partnered with the City of Evanston to supply over 50,000 of their residents with the same safe, high-quality water they’ve always received but now at a more stable rate. The improved lower rate allows cost savings to be used for future infrastructure improvements. This new agreement replaces multi-decade agreements with the City of Chicago set to expire in 2018 and 2019.

The project will provide over $8.5 million in capital improvements to the Villages of Morton Grove, Niles and Skokie. These improvements include the reconstruction of streets, curbs and gutters along the project route. In addition, property owners whose water service lines are impacted by the new water main will have the option to replace a lead service line with a new copper service line at no cost.

This project includes installation or restoration of approximately nine miles of water main ranging from 16 to 30 inches in diameter. Also included in this project is resurfacing of roadways along the construction route and replacement of existing lead service lines with new copper service lines.

Construction has begun on this project. The water supply system will be operational by December 2018 with all construction completed by August 2019.

Residences impacted by the construction will be assigned a resident engineer who will discuss concerns and answer questions. Residents will be provided with the resident engineer’s contact information via door-to-door visits to the residences along the construction route or by residents can find their resident engineer by viewing the map on the Contact Us page.

For general inquiries, please contact the message center at (847) 588-7979.

Construction will occur Monday through Friday, typically between 7:00 am and 5:30 pm. Occasional construction may occur on Saturdays. The contractor will strive to maintain reasonable working hours and reduce the inconvenience associated with early morning and late-night construction. However, longer construction hours may be required to minimize water service disruptions and to reduce traffic impacts.

The project will minimize water service disruptions to the extent possible and will make every reasonable attempt to ensure you are notified in advance of any disruption in water service. Notification specific to your home and interruption of water service will be given at least one day in advance of the work occurring. The typical duration of water service interruption will be between two to four hours, unless an unforeseen emergency occurs, such as a water main break, which would cause a longer interruption of service.

Pedestrian access to homes will be maintained at all times. The project will be completed in phases and only those areas undergoing active construction will experience temporary street closures with access restored during non‐work hours typically after 5:30 pm. Vehicle access and parking on roads may be restricted during the work hours between 7:00 am and 5:30 pm.

Driveway access will be briefly interrupted, typically two to four hours, during installation of the transmission main. Driveways will be inaccessible during placement of concrete curb and gutter, which could last from three to seven days. Residents impacted will be notified in advance of any interruption.

Roadways will remain open to local traffic, but drivers may be affected by flaggers, lane closures or detour routes. Notification of any planned closures will be provided to those affected 72 hours in advance.

Temporary seeding will be placed immediately after work has ceased in landscaped areas. In most cases, final sod and tree replacements will be installed prior to winter. However, some restoration is expected to take place in the Spring of 2019. All disturbed areas damaged will be restored at no cost to the homeowner or business.

Emergency services will be allowed on roads temporarily closed during work hours to service residents within the construction area.

The contractors will coordinate with the garbage collection agency to ensure that garbage is collected during construction.

Project information and construction schedules will be included in Morton Grove, Niles and Skokie’s electronic newsletters. This information will also be made available on the Project page.

The route for the new water main was chosen for the following reasons:

• To minimize disruption of traffic on the major roadways
• To minimize the number of crossings on major roadways
• To minimize the number of water service disruptions to residents

The new water main will be located mostly underneath the pavement within the public right of way. The proposed alignment was selected based on several criteria to minimize conflicts with known existing underground utilities and above‐ground features within the right of way. The exact location of the pipelines will be determined during the field excavation and may be adjusted based upon the true location of other existing utilities. Occasionally, unforeseen conditions may require alignment adjustments during construction.

The static water pressure of the new distribution system will be like the existing distribution system.

All excavated trenches, which are not backfilled at the end of the day, will be secured using appropriate trench plates or temporary fencing after work hours. Trench plates can be walked on or driven over.

The pipeline will be installed using a combination of open‐trench excavation as well as trenchless technologies such as boring and jacking and horizontal directional drilling.

Homes built before 1986 are more likely to have lead pipes used during water service line installation.

Please use the following steps to determine if your water service line is lead:
1.) Find the water meter in your home.
2.) Locate the inlet pipe or water service pipe attached to the water meter. Note: The inlet pipe will come up thru the floor or foundation wall and typically have a blue valve before connecting with the water meter.
3.) Clean off a small section of the pipe and then scratch the surface of the pipe. If the scratched surface is shiny like a penny then it is a copper pipe and no further testing is required. If the scratched surface is silver or grey, it may be a lead pipe.
4.) To verify, place a magnet on the pipe. If the magnet does not stick it is a lead pipe. You may also use this guide to help you check your pipes.

If your water service pipe is exposed during contruction, you will be given the option to opt-in or opt-out of having the lead service line replaced from the public water main to your water meter. There is no cost to the homeowner if you choose to have the lead service line replaced.