Utility Division
The Utility Division has 10 employees and is responsible for operating and maintaining the Village’s water distribution system and sanitary sewer conveyance system. The water distribution system includes 182 miles of water main, four elevated storage tanks, one ground level reservoir, three pumping stations, and two backup wells. The Utility Division staff is also responsible for maintaining 2,517 fire hydrants, 2,251 valves, and over 9,681 water meters. The sanitary sewer system includes 140 miles of sanitary sewer main and eight sanitary sewer pump stations. Sanitary sewage treatment is provided by North Shore Water Reclamation District at its Gurnee treatment facility. The division also assists the Community Development Department and the Engineering Division in plan review of all underground utilities and final inspections of projects.
Fire Hydrant Flushing Program
Apr 26, 2017, 13:38 PM
The Village has over 2,500 hydrants that need to be maintained. Using GIS software, each hydrant is mapped and numbered by the Utility Division. One of the best ways to ensure hydrants are functioning properly is to flush them annually. The Utility Division has determined that all odd numbered hydrants are flushed in the fall, even numbered hydrants are flushed in the spring and all dead end hydrants are flushed during both the spring and fall flushing.
The procedure for flushing hydrants involves opening one of the three ports of the hydrant and allowing the water to flow wide open for one (1) minute. For the hydrant to operate properly, crews check for ease of opening and closing, ensures that water flow stops when the hydrant is shut down, and if any water remaining in the barrel drains down below ground level into surrounding soil. If a hydrant does not perform all of these functions, the hydrant must be repaired. Hard turning or inoperable fire hydrants can be a serious problem for the Fire Department during emergency situations and any leaks within the hydrant can be a source of water loss and a major cause for hydrant freeze up during the winter months.
The procedure for flushing hydrants involves opening one of the three ports of the hydrant and allowing the water to flow wide open for one (1) minute. For the hydrant to operate properly, crews check for ease of opening and closing, ensures that water flow stops when the hydrant is shut down, and if any water remaining in the barrel drains down below ground level into surrounding soil. If a hydrant does not perform all of these functions, the hydrant must be repaired. Hard turning or inoperable fire hydrants can be a serious problem for the Fire Department during emergency situations and any leaks within the hydrant can be a source of water loss and a major cause for hydrant freeze up during the winter months.