FOR RELEASE:
February 19, 2025
PRESS CONTACT:
Deanna Shoss, Communications, 773-478-8417
The City of Chicago Office of Inspector General (OIG) has published an advisory detailing a lack of public transparency from the Department of Water Management (DWM) surrounding extensive water main and sewer line construction work that failed to comply with Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) Title 35 regulations.
Title 35 of the Illinois Administrative Code establishes environmental regulations for Illinois, including the separation of water and sewer infrastructure to mitigate the risk of drinking water contamination. Subject matter experts told OIG that there is not necessarily an acute health and safety risk posed by water mains and sewer lines being too close together, with pressurization critical to keeping contaminants out of the water supply. OIG notes, however, that there have been occasional and recent incidents in which the system has lost pressure and DWM issued orders that Chicagoans boil water before drinking it.
In 2019, DWM discovered widespread noncompliance with IEPA requirements for the minimum horizontal and vertical distance between underground water mains and sewer lines. DWM has subsequently cooperated with the IEPA to develop a remediation plan and continues to correct noncompliance when it discovers it during its regular work, which can add unexpected time and cost. The City had paid a company over $288 million between 2013 and 2023 to ensure that contractors correctly installed water mains. Even after widespread noncompliant work was discovered in 2019, the City continued to pay that same company millions of dollars annually for its services. The City demanded that contractors who constructed noncompliant water mains conduct corrective work, resulting in litigation by two contractors against the City.
OIG recommended that DWM improve the information available to the public and members of City Council about this issue. Additionally, DWM should coordinate with relevant City departments to provide accessible, proactive public education on how City residents should respond in the event of a water main depressurization event to avoid health and safety risks.
In its response to OIG, DWM “affirm[s] that the public water supply is safe.” DWM reported that it “recognizes the importance of transparency, particularly in connection with the safety of the drinking water supply” and that “information about this issue, including [DWM’s] reports to the IEPA regarding the discovery of non-compliant locations, is not confidential and may be requested by anyone who is interested.” DWM’s response provides information about and context for the City’s efforts to promote and maintain water safety. DWM disagrees, however, with OIG’s recommendation that it proactively provide public information on water main and sewer separation issues, writing that “where residents do not need to take any action, such elevated public communications may dilute the desired impact of City communications when there is a confirmed risk and actions by residents is actually needed, for example during boil orders.”
“Reliably providing safe drinking water is one of the most basic and important government functions. Providing clear and readily available information in which people have reason to be confident is another,” said Deborah Witzburg, Inspector General for the City of Chicago. “Transparent government does not ‘dilute’ government communications, it gives people a reason to believe what they’re told. Chicagoans are entitled to know where their water mains and sewers are too close together, what the City is doing about it and how much it will cost, how long and how often their streets will be torn up, and what they should do to keep their families safe if something goes wrong.”
Read the Report
Read the full report, released on February 19, 2025.
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