Village of Burr Ridge

Nestled in the heart of a wooded area of large acreage estates in the southeast corner of the Village of Burr Ridge, the "home" pictured here blends with its surroundings, attracting few second glances from passersby. Those who do take a second look might well wonder about the shortage of windows and ask, "Who lives here?"

The answer is what rather than who: 3 million gallons of Lake Michigan water for the residents of the Village of Burr Ridge.

The Lake Michigan Water Reservoir and Distribution Centre, dedicated in June of 1985, houses the pumping, chlorinating and monitoring equipment for the Village's entire water system beneath its cedar shake roof. The Centre houses four vertical turbine pumps with a total delivery capacity of approximately 6 million gallons per day, completely automatically operated. Behind the overhead "garage" door is a 450 kilowatt emergency generator, operable during periods of power failure. Under the well-manicured lawn lies the 207' x 138' x 16' deep reservoir. The Centre was designed to look like a single family home in order to be compatible with the residential character of the neighborhood.

Construction of the $1.5 million facility began in 1983 as part of a $3 million water system improvement project which brought Lake Michigan water to the Village. The 12 acre site of the Centre and $850,800 for its construction was donated by the developers of the 297 acre Burr Ridge Park and the Village gained voter approval of its first general obligation bond issue to finance $2.4 million of the cost.

The Centre receives all Lake Michigan water purchased from the Justice-Willow Springs Water Commission and sends it on its way throughout the system of water mains. Three shallow wells which previously served as the Burr Ridge source of water remain operational to provide backup service in case an emergency depletes the reservoir. A 300,000 gallon spheroid overhead tank which previously served as primary storage now serves to maintain pressure for the water system.

Design engineer for the project was Frank Novotny & Associates, Inc., of Willowbrook. •

Page 22 / Illinois Municipal Review / January 1987