A Will County Board member is vowing to improve the water conditions in the district he serves.
Residents of Joliet Township have for many years complained about the water quality in their community. Herbert Brooks Jr. County Board District 8 commissioner has promised to do something about it.
The communities affected by the water concerns receive service from the Joliet Southeast Sanitary water District, which include Preston Heights, Hawthorne Hills, Hillcrest and Patterson Rd. neighborhoods. Southeast Sanitary District was created in 1981 to serve about 700 residents in the Joliet Township.
According to Brooks, although there has been maintenance performed over the years the system has deteriorated and needs to be replaced.
“This is very old infrastructure,” said Brooks, noting that all the plumbing was built around 1930s or 1940s and It’s deteriorating and rusting.
In fact, in 2016 and 2017, boil orders were issued for residents in the Preston Heights neighborhood for those who live on Girard Boulevard and Luana Road after a water main break.
Unfortunately, Brook said, the recent approval by the Joliet City Council to sell bonds to finance operations that will bring Lake Michigan water to Joliet will not impact those who live in the sanitary district as they do not reside within confines of the city’s limits.
Brooks said before he leaves office in two years, he would like to secure federal grants to pay for infrastructure improvements.
“What will happen is if we upgrade the system, it will improve the lives of the residents there tremendously,” said Brooks, a Democrat who is chairman of the capital improvement committee. Previously, he served as Will County Speaker from 2012 to 2014 and Democratic Caucus Chair from 2014 to 2016.
For years, Brook said residents have dealt with toilets backing up, plumbing issues, and flooded homes following spring and summer storms.
Former Preston Heights resident Elvin Jackson hopes Brooks can secure federal funding for the much-needed improvements.
“We lived there for years, but my family just got so sick of it,” said Jackson, who moved from the area. “The water pressure was terrible when we did have water and my family, and I felt like we were living in a third-world country and not the United States of America. Something must be done for people who live there. It is their right.”
Skip Boyd, who has lived in the Hillcrest community his whole life said, “the water is no good and not fit to drink. I had to replace 2 water heaters because the water is so hard. I complain but nothing changes.” Madhu Mayer, TTW Reporter mmayer@thetimesweekly.com
