Work begins on new water plant

MANHATTAN -- Ground was broken recently for the village's second freshwater filtration plant.

The $3.2 million project will be paid for with an $800,000 state grant the village received, and the remaining portion will be paid off over the next 20 years with a 0 percent interest loan.

Additionally, the bid for this project came in 18 percent under the engineer's estimate.

"Constructing this facility now with these financial incentives and favorable bid, will save the village just under $2 million over the life of the loan," Mayor Bill Borgo said.

In December 2008, the village's first radium removal plant opened.

This plant is capable of removing radium from the village's water at a rate of 1,100 gallons per minute. Since the village uses deep wells for all of its drinking water, it must deal with the radium contained within it.

Radium is a naturally occurring byproduct of the decomposition of the bedrock thousands of feet below the surface of the earth. Before it reaches each resident's home, the water is stripped of the radium and iron deposits by passing through the village's existing and future water filtration plants.

Prior to the opening of the first facility, the village had multiple wells that were in noncompliance with the new IEPA standard. Once this plant opened in 2008, all wells but one were either abandoned or put on standby status for use in-case of an emergency.

"Today, all residents are receiving fresh water that meets all state guidelines," Borgo said.