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CITY OF WEST CHICAGO
INFRASTRUCTURE COMMITTEE
AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY
ITEM TITLE:
AGENDA ITEM NUMBER: __&-O.
Resolution No. 20-R-0076 — Contract Award — Donohue &
Associates, Inc. - Phosphorous Removal Pilot Study for
the West Chicago/Winfield Wastewater Authority Regional
Wastewater Treatment Plant.
COMMITTEE AGENDA DATE: December 3, 2020
COUNCIL AGENDA DATE: December 7, 2020
STAFF REVIEW: Robert E. Flatter, P.E., Director of Public Works SIGNATUR'
APPROVED BY CITY ADMINISTRATOR: Michael L. Guttman
SIGNATURE.
ITEM SUMMARY:
On June 1, 2015, authorized by Resolution No. 15-R-0030, the Mayor executed an Agreement with the DuPage
River Salt Creek Workgroup for participation in its local funding program to complete alternate stream restoration
projects required as a special condition of the City’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES)
Permit for its then Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant; known today as the West Chicago/Winfield Wastewater
Authority (WCWWA) Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant.
The WCWWA Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) operates under an NPDES permit regulated by the
Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA); Permit No. IL0024369. As authorized by the Clean Water Act, the
NPDES permit program controls water pollution by regulating point sources that discharge pollutants into waters of
the United States. Water pollution degrades surface waters making them unsafe for drinking, fishing, swimming,
and other activities. Industrial, municipal, and other facilities must obtain permits from the IEPA if their discharges
go directly to surface waters and must renew its permit every five years. For years, the USEPA has pressured the
IEPA to impose new and stricter nutrient removal limitations on wastewater treatment plants consistent with
national policy.
One local environmental group, the DuPage River Salt Creek Workgroup (DRSCW), formed in 2005 in response
to concerns about Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) being set for the East & West Branches of the DuPage
River and Salt Creek, is made up of local communities, Publically Owned Treatment Works (POTWs) or WWTPs,
and private environmental organizations. The DRSCW has been working to produce comprehensive data sets for
local watersheds to determine and resolve priority stressors to local aquatic systems. The organization continues
to implement targeted watershed activities that resolve priority waterway problems efficiently and cost effectively.
Working directly with the other environmental groups and the IEPA, the DRSCW has created, submitted, and
received support for the implementation of special permit conditions and stream restoration projects. It is
DRSCW's plan that implementation of its stream restoration projects will produce the greatest improvement in
water quality and habitat for less money than individual POTW projects. As a result of being a member of the
DRSCW and paying Project Funding Assessments, participating POTWs received a temporary reprieve from the
IEPA to upgrade its own POTW and comply with strict phosphorus limits likely to be imposed by the IEPA.
With participation in the DRSCW watershed activities and planning projects, the WCWWA is committed to paying
for DRSCW’s planning projects thru DRSCW’s Fiscal Year 2022-2023 (ending February 28, 2023). Most of the
projects are not in the West Branch of the DuPage River, which is West Chicago’s watershed. The following
provides an overview of the annual WCWWA Project Funding Assessments per the current Agreement:

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CITY OF WEST CHICAGO
Fiscal Year: Project Assessment:
18-19 $ 76,056.00
19-20 $126,081.00
20-21 $129,863.00
21-22 $133,759.00
22-23 $137,772.00
Renewal of the WCWWA’s NPDES permit is currently under review by the IEPA. As a likely condition of the
permit renewal, the IEPA will require continued participation in the DRSCW and paying Project Funding
Assessments to continue to receive a temporary reprieve from the IEPA to comply with strict phosphorus limits
inevitably to be imposed at some future date. The DRSCW has been negotiating with the IEPA on permit
language. DRSCW’s draft language includes an extension of the implementation of Phosphorus limits of 1 mg/L
monthly average for an additional three years along with an additional three years of Project Funding Assessments
(anticipated to be approximately $125,000.00 annually for the WCWWA). Alternately, we could elect to remain
members of the DRSCW but stop paying Project Funding Assessments, which in turn, the IEPA will impose a
phosphorus limit(s) with specific compliance dates as a condition of our renewed permit. The unknown factor is at
what limit the IEPA will restrict phosphorus (i.e., 1.0 mg/l, 0.5 mg/I, or 0.1 mg/l) and how long it will give the
WCWWA to comply with said limit.
The IEPA has not stated when it will begin issuing new NPDES permits to those POTWs currently seeking
renewal; with either phosphorus limits with which the POTW must comply, or with special conditions requiring the
permittee to participate in the DRSCW watershed activities and planning projects. The DRSCW anticipates that
permit language will be resolved in mid-December 2020 with permits being issued by the IEPA shortly thereafter.
To help determine the best course of action for the WCWWA, in anticipation of the pending nitrogen and
phosphorus limits inevitably to be imposed on future NPDES permits, the City needs to gain an understanding of
the improvements and costs that will be required at the WWTP if strict phosphorus limits were to be imposed as a
new NPDES permit condition. This will help determine which is more cost effective: 1) participation in the DRSCW
and continued payment of Project Funding Assessment (estimated at $125,000 per year for Fiscal Year 23-24 thru
27-28) or, 2) make necessary compliance upgrades to the WWTP. Staff believes that with recent improvements
at the WWTP, most notably the replacement of the antiquated tertiary sand filters with rotation disk membrane
filters, compliance with a 1.0 mg/I limit could be easily achieved with chemical addition.
As a result, the City desires to hire Donohue & Associates, Inc. (Donohue) to review and evaluate the WWTP
current facilities and operations, conduct a chemical dosing phosphorus removal study, to determine potential
improvements required, and associated costs for nitrogen and phosphorus removal compliance (e.g., for 1.0 mg/l,
0.5 mg/l, and 0.1 mg/I limit). At staff's request, Donohue has provided a proposal, and is willing to perform a
phosphorus removal study, for an amount not to exceed $53,700.00 (see attached proposal for additional
clarification).
The phosphorus removal study will be paid for by the WCWWA.
ACTIONS PROPOSED:
Approve Resolution No. 20-R-0076 authorizing the Mayor to execute an Agreement with Donohue & Associates,
Inc., for an amount not to exceed $53,700.00, for professional engineering services related to a Phosphorous
Removal Pilot Study for the West Chicago/Winfield Wastewater Authority Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION:
Pending recommendation from the Infrastructure Committee at its meeting on December 3, 2020. If not approved
by Committee on December 3, 2020, this Item will go to the December 21, 2020, City Council Meeting.