Litchfield City Council Approves Emergency Water Plant Repairs, Pursues Federal Grants for $4.6 Million Overhaul

Litchfield City Council Meeting | March 5, 2026

Article Summary: The Litchfield City Council unanimously authorized over $73,000 in unbudgeted emergency expenditures to repair catastrophic failures at the local water treatment plant, while also setting the stage to pursue millions in federal funding for a comprehensive facility overhaul.

Water Treatment Plant Key Points:

• The council waived competitive bidding to approve $73,575 in emergency repairs for failing water plant pumps and valves.

• The city is finalizing a Capital Improvement Plan for the water distribution system estimated at $4.6 million.

• City Administrator Breann Vazquez announced the city is applying for federal Community Project Funding through Congresswoman Mary Miller to support the massive upgrade.

• An additional $13,444.20 was approved for a new cellular telemetry monitoring system.

The Litchfield City Council on Thursday, March 5, 2026, took urgent action to stabilize the city’s water infrastructure, approving tens of thousands of dollars in emergency equipment repairs while announcing a multi-million dollar strategy for long-term improvements.

Under New Business, Alderperson Bob Garcia made a motion, seconded by Alderperson Dwayne Gerl, to approve a resolution waiving competitive bidding requirements and authorizing emergency expenditures for the Litchfield Water Treatment Plant.

According to the resolution provided in the agenda packet, the plant suffered a “catastrophic failure of its chemical feed system,” alongside severe degradation of several high-service pumps and valves. The emergency repairs, totaling $73,575, are completely unbudgeted and will be funded through the city’s Enterprise Reserve Funds.

The specific emergency expenditures include:

• $25,000 to The Pump Shop to rehabilitate Raw Pump #1.

• $32,000 to Hydro-Kinetics to repair High Service Pump #4, which currently has a plastic shield keeping water from spraying on the pump motor.

• $4,000 to Hach for a Backwash Turbidimeter replacement to eliminate anticipated IEPA compliance issues.

• $12,757 to Loellke Plumbing to replace and rehabilitate failing RPZ valves.

City Administrator Breann Vazquez explained that while these immediate repairs are necessary, the city is concurrently finalizing a massive Capital Improvement Plan alongside engineers from Crawford, Murphy & Tilly (CMT).

“We do expect that to be about $4.6 million,” Vazquez told the council. “Congresswoman Mary Miller has some federal Community Project Funding open. I do plan to submit for some of that funding for this project tomorrow. Given that this does affect four counties when you include our water district, we did feel like this would be a strong application because our water distribution system does affect so many within the region.”

Vazquez added that the city will also be navigating the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) low-interest loan process to secure additional project financing.

Following the discussion, the council unanimously approved the emergency expenditures via a roll call vote.

Immediately following, the council unanimously approved an agreement with T&M Controls to install a new telemetry system at the water plant for an amount not to exceed $13,444.20. According to the packet, the current communications system for the water towers relies on phone lines, and the north tower’s connection is currently non-functional. The new telemetry system will utilize radio and cellular service for remote monitoring.

During the discussion, Alderperson Sara Zumwalt asked for clarification regarding a note in the packet from Public Works Coordinator Bill Grider, which stated a quoted price of $11,369.20 did not include installation. City staff clarified that the $11,369.20 figure only covered the base parts, and that the final $13,444.20 contract price being voted on did fully cover the installation.