Pump Station

On February 13, 2017 the City of Evanston adopted Ordinance 5-O-17, entering into a Water Supply Agreement with the Villages of Morton Grove and Niles. The initial term of the agreement is for 40 years with two 10 year extension provisions. The pressure that City's Water Plant produces is insufficient to force water to travel through a water main the full distance to these Villages. A water pump station is needed to receive the water and re-pump out at a higher pressure to these communities.  An existing large diameter water main that has ability to provide the requested amount water is located at the intersection of Emerson and McCormick, which makes this a good location for the pump station.  The water from the pump station will not go to any Evanston residents.

Three electric motor pumps will be in the pump station. Generally 2 pumps will be operated and a third pump is there for back-up. The pump house will be unmanned. On a weekly basis, someone will go to the pump house to complete a physical inspection. Every 6 months, routine maintenance of the pumps & motors will be performed. In the event of a power failure, there is a generator that will be operated during the power outage to maintain water flow to the two communities. The generator will be tested one hour each month. The exhaust for this generator has a silencer on it, and the exhaust discharges on the west side of the building, away from properties on McDaniel. The pumps in the pump station will be remotely operated by the water plant operators at the Evanston Water Plant. For more information about the sound created by the operation of the standby generator, please see the Stanley Consultants technical memorandum.

The pump station will also be equipped with the capability to add sodium hypochlorite (i.e. bleach) to the water supply, if needed, to maintain chlorine levels in the water. The City currently maintains an average of 0.44 mg/L of free chlorine in their distribution system, and City staff is confident that chlorine residuals delivered to the Morton Grove-Niles Water Commission (MGNWC) connection point upstream of the pump station will be at an appropriate level. The pump station has been designed with a room to contain chemical feed equipment, but it will not be initially installed. The equipment will only be installed if the MGNWC finds that it needs to boost levels. Bleach will only be stored if used; it will not be stored as a standby.

In the unlikely event that there is a need to add hypochlorite (which would be two to three times stronger than household bleach), it would be stored on-site. It would be stored in tanks within spill containment basins. If they were to leak, the bleach would stay contained in the chemical room and not reach any doors or drains. An alternative is chlorine gas, but due to a higher safety risk, it is not being used at this facility. 

After approval of the Water Supply Agreement, the Morton Grove-Niles Water Commission (MGNWC) was established by an intergovernmental agreement for purposes of constructing and operating a public water supply system consisting of water transmission mains, pumping, storage and other related water delivery and receiving infrastructure between a connection point on the Evanston water system and existing water receiving points of Niles and Morton Grove. Resolution 4-R-18 was adopted by City council on January 22, 2018.

MGNWC received favorable bids for construction of their proposed connection, and is in line to get low interest loans from the IEPA for construction of their infrastructure. MGNWC hopes to begin construction in spring and receive water by end of 2018/early 2019. The City's proposed rate for 2018 is $0.78 per thousand gallons.

The City recently entered into a 50-year lease with the property owner, the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District. The MGNWC will handle construction and maintenance of the pump station, but it will be operated by the City.

Funds were allocated in the Evanston Capital Improvement Plan to demolish the existing structure, the former Shore School Building. Evanston intends to develop the Shore property with a proposed with proposed park improvements. MGNWC will contract and pay for engineering services and construction work to demolish and remove the existing school building and north parking lot from the former Shore Property. MGNWC is solely responsible for the means and methods of this work.  Evanston will reimburse MGNWC for its reasonable costs associated with this work.

The south parking lot will remain in its existing state until the proposed park improvements are constructed by Evanston. MGNWC will at its expense, install code compliant electrical and the plumbing connections and fixtures for two public washrooms and will make provisions for a potential equipment room should one be required as part of the park improvement project. Drains and plumbing waste connections in the restrooms will be connected to the IPS wastewater removal system which will consist of a grinder pump station. MGNWC is solely responsible for the means and methods of this work. Evanston will reimburse the MGNWC for the cost to purchase and install the bathroom fixtures.  Evanston intends to construct the park improvements at some time in the near future.  Evanston will provide the water supply and the electrical power needed for the park improvements.  

In addition to the City Council/committee meetings listed under the legislative history below, Alderman Robin Rue Simmons discussed the MGNWC proposals at her 5th Ward meeting on January 18, 2018.  The matter was listed on the agenda sent to her residents. 

Community members were invited to join Alderman Rue Simmons and City staff for a tour of one of the City's water pumping stations at 2520 Gross Point Road. The tour took place on Thursday, March 8 at 5:30 p.m.  Residents were able to see and hear how the pumping station operates and ask questions. 

MGNWC submitted a building permit and municipal use exemption to construct a new 3260 sq. ft. water pumping station, connecting pipes and public restrooms at the February 7, 2018 Design and Project Review Committee (DAPR). The proposed site plan, landscape plan, and building elevations were presented. The Municipal Use Exemption and plan to minimize adverse impacts received a unanimous positive recommendation. The committee requested additional information and the matter returned February 28, 2018 for further discussion. DAPR recommended final approval.

On February 12, 2018, the Administration and Public Works Committee and the City Council approved Resolution 9-R-18, approving a Memorandum of Understanding between the City and MGNWC for the construction and operation of an intermediate booster pump station located at 2525 Church Street. Additionally, on February 12, 2018, the Planning & Development Committee and the City Council approved Resolution 10-R-18, granting municipal use exemption for public utility (the pump station) at 2525 Church Street. This allows the construction of the pump station in the OS Open Space District, where Public Utilities are neither a permitted or special use.

The pump station is a secured facility with cameras and illegal entry alarms that will transmit back to the Plant.  The public facilities will be regulated as are normally done for parks in other locations.

The area surrounding the building will be lit similarly to any building within a City park. There will not be any flood lights or excessive lighting on the building.

While a Public Utility is not a permitted use within the OS Open Space Zoning District, the Zoning Ordinance (6-7-4) states that any governmental or proprietary function owned or operated by the City shall be a permitted use in any district. The City Council may approve buildings and structures that do not comply with all of the requirements of the underlying district, if they are necessary for the provision of desired City services and if the adverse impact on surrounding properties resulting from such noncompliance is minimized. Adverse impacts may be minimized by design, architectural treatment, screening, landscaping and/or placement on the lot. Such plan for reduction of adverse impact was reviewed by the Design and Project Review Committee.

There is a similar, smaller pump station in Evanston located next to the water storage facility at 2350 Gross Point Road. This pump station is used by Evanston to increase pressure in the northwest portion of the City during high water demands and to recirculate the water that is stored in the 7.5 million gallon storage facility. It is unmanned and controlled by the water plant operators at the Plant.