Why is a new water tower needed?
The existing tower located at 269 W Irving Park Road is nearing the end of its useful life, and at 100,000-gallons, provides minimal operational efficiency. While Lake Michigan water is the source of drinking water for the City, water towers provide back-up supply in the event of an emergency or issue with Lake Michigan water. Construction of larger water tower provides the City with increased system reliability and capacity to accommodate future development within the City.
Constructing a considerably larger tower at this location would require significantly reinforced foundations and dewatering activities during construction when compared to alternative sites outside of the floodplain. Foundation activities could also include undercutting unsuitable soil, disposal of the soil spoil, placement of engineered backfill, and potentially driving/drilling steel piling to bedrock to carry the substantially larger load.
What's the project timeline?
Construction will begin in May 2026 and is anticipated to be completed by October 2027.
What are the anticipated impacts?
There may be minor disruptions to traffic patterns on Irving Park Road as materials and equipment are being delivered to the site. A crane will be present during the steel erection process, in addition to typical construction-related dust and noise.
