Title
Unincorporated Palos and Orland Township Stormwater Infrastructure Maintenance Responsibility Evaluation
History
In the late 1970s the Village of Orland Park entered into an agreement to provide water and sanitary sewer service to unincorporated portions of Palos Township. Since that time several additional developments outside Village boundaries in both Palos and Orland Township have been added to the water and sanitary sewer system. The Village has always taken a position of responsibility for only the sanitary and water systems. It was the Village’s position that the storm water system (except for the Mill Creek pond) was the responsibility of the township.
All permitting for the sanitary and storm systems are managed by the Metropolitan Water reclamation District (MWRD). After extensive legal discussion pertaining to three specific projects it has been concluded that the Village is also required to maintain their respective storm systems as co-permittee under MWRD ordinances. Based on this decision it is anticipated that responsibility for the remainder of the storm systems in Orland and Palos Township, built under MWRD permit to the Village, will be the responsibility of the Village. Although there is no pending enforcement action by the MWRD, Village staff recommends that an engineering evaluation of the stormwater area be completed to better determine the current status and repair of the system.
To get a clear understanding of the magnitude of this undertaking and the potential costs involved with the maintenance, Christopher B. Burke Engineering, Ltd. of Rosemont, Illinois (CBBEL) has submitted a proposal. The initial phase will involve researching each permit to clarify responsibility. At the same time, where Village responsibility is confirmed, storm infrastructure quantities will be obtained to help establish future maintenance costs. The proposal for the defined work is $7,200.
Future phases of this project will include cursory i...
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