Title
Review of recommendations developed by the Technical Advisory Group for mitigation of pollutant loading to Mill Creek due to expansion of the Mill Creek Water Reclamation Facility.
Staff Summary
• The Mill Creek Water Reclamation Facility (WRF) is proposed to be expanded from 1.0 MGD to 2.1 MGD to accommodate new development in the Northwest Facility Planning Area.
• The area includes the Village of Old Mill Creek, the eastern portion of the Village of Antioch, and unincorporated areas of Lake County including Grandwood Park. The WRF is located within the Village of Old Mill Creek.
• In preparation for receiving an endorsement from the environmental community for the County's IEPA application for expansion, Public Works formed a Technical Advisory Group (TAG) to help work through an assessment of alternatives and potential impacts in accordance with state anti-degradation rules.
• The group included other County Departments, including DOT, Health, PBD, SMC and FP, and outside groups including IDNR, Sierra Club, Open Lands, the Village of Antioch, Village of Old Mill Creek and the Village of Wadsworth.
• The TAG recommended that the County, the Village of Antioch and the Village of Old Mill Creek take a watershed-scale approach to reduce the potential impacts associated with the proposed WRF expansion.
• The TAG developed fifteen (15) recommendations and the estimated budget impact to the County over the next five years of implementation would be approximately $400,000.
• If the Committee concurs, with the recommendations, the Department will develop a resolution that endorses the implementation of the recommendations as part of the plant expansion project.
• It is expected that the County will receive a Letter of Support from the environmental advocacy groups which should allow CMAP to give a favorable recommendation for the plant expansion, and allow IEPA to approve the Design Basis Report.