Carterville Water

A damaged valve on a large water main has meant all water in Carterville has been shut off while repairs are made. The city does not indicate when water service will return but a boil water order is in place until the morning of July 4th.

In all my years in Carbondale, I have never heard of the city issuing a boil water order for any part of the city.  People complain a lot about Carbondale but its water quality and service is far superior to the communities surrounding us

Water Supply

 Missed the cutoff point by .3%

o our residents- 

Our water system recently violated a drinking water standard. Although this was not an emergency, as our customers, you have a right to know what happened, what you should do, and what we are doing to correct this situation. Surface water systems (or groundwater under the influence of surface water) using conventional filtration treatment (enhanced coagulation or enhanced precipitative softening) must demonstrate that Total Organic Carbon (TOC) removals are in compliance with either the Step 1 TOC removal requirements or meet the requirements of alternative compliance criteria. Our supply was unable to meet the requirements during the 2024Q2 monitoring period (2nd quarter 2024). 

What should I do? 

You do not need to use an alternative (e.g., bottled) water supply. However, if you have specific health concerns, consult your doctor. 

What does this mean? 

This is not an immediate risk. If it had been, you would have been notified immediately. 

Total organic carbon (TOC) has no health effects. However, total organic carbon provides a medium for the formation of disinfection byproducts (DBPs). These byproducts include trihalomethanes (THMs) and haloacetic acids (HAAs). 

Drinking water containing these byproducts in excess of the MCL may lead to adverse health effects, liver or kidney problems, or nervous system effects, and may lead to an increased risk of getting cancer. 

What happened? What is being done? 

The City of Carbondale tests monthly for TOC removal in the treatment process. A 45% removal rate is required as a precaution to limit the formation of DBPs, which are potentially harmful above certain levels. TOC compliance is measured as a running annual average (RAA). The City of Carbondale’s RAA is typically 46 – 50%. In June, the RAA was 44.7%, falling short of the 45% required for compliance. DBPs, which are directly affected by TOC, were also sampled in June, with all samples testing safely within compliance. Additionally, the monthly TOC removal for July was 48.4%. 

Customers do not need to take any action. The water is safe for normal use. TOC does not have any health effects, but is monitored since it may affect other water quality parameters. This is a required public notification. 

For more information, please contact Clayton Greer, Water Treatment Plant Superintendent at (618) 529-1731 option 2. 

Free Water at Schnucks

During the hottest parts of the day, Schnucks is offering free water. Limit one bottle per person. During the week, the civic center is also open, though I do not think the city is promoting it as a cooling center. Water fountains are available there as well.

Water Plant

 Got some more information on Carbondale's water plant. It has the capability to treat 8 million gallons of water per day and the city uses an average of about 4 million gallons per day. The most the city ever "produced" was 6.5 million gallons and that was when SIUC's enrollment was much higher. So apparently little to no change of any stress being put on the system

1 Million Gallons

 That is the amount of water vanishing from the Carbondale water system on a daily basis. At this time of  year, residents of Carbondale use about 3 million gallons of water a day. Measurements from the water purification plant show about 4 million gallons going out daily. No meters in the city show any significant increases and no customers in Carbondale have reported any abnormal increase in the bills so the city has no idea where the water is going. Staff members have spent the last two months looking for the and thought they had found it last month but after patching the leak they discovered, the flow continued.

The city figures one of two things is happening. One million gallons of water escaping per day is either creating a pond or swampy area somewhere in the city, so if you see a large accumulation of water in an area  that normally does not have any, contact the city to let them know. The other likelihood is the leak is close to a sewer drain or stream and the water is flowing into it before getting to any location where it could be measured.

From what I understand, the city can process about 5 million gallons of water per day before straining the purification system so the leak is not currently causing any stress so we are okay during spring, fall and winter. However, Carbondale water use increases to about 4 million gallons per day during the summer, raising the output from the system to levels that are problematical.

Water Leak

 From what I have heard, the Carbondale water system has a crack somewhere. A few thousand gallons of water a day are leaking out, causing the Carbondale water towers to empty and necessitating running the water plant 24 hours a day to refill them. Unfortunately no household meter is showing any exceptional amount of water use so the city is looking for water draining into a stream or forming a pond somewher. If you happen to notice water where it normally is not, the city would likely appreciate you contacting them.

Sewer Lines

 Clearwave has a contract from the city to install underground fiberoptic cable and are currently doing soin the Northwest part of the city. Appears there have been some problems with sewer lines and water mains getting cut into during the installation. One family reported their basement flooded with sewage after a line cut while another had to boil water after a water main got severed

Water

One great thing about Carbondale is the quality of the water system. I have lived within the city limits for 30 years and have never seen a "boil water" order for any place within the city limits while surrounding communities appear to have them several times a year. Certainly glad Brad Cole's plan to privatize Carbondale' s water system to raise money came to naught.

Water Supply

One of the benefits of the city having its own water supply is that we don't rely on Rend Lake like many of the surrounding communities do. If you remember, there was quite a bit of controversy over Mayor Cole's proposal to privatize the city water system  during his administration. From the city:

 Carbondale residents are not impacted by the recent water main break at the Rend Lake Conservancy District.

If residents in surrounding communities are in need of water, the City has a bulk fill station at the Water Treatment Plant, located at 2401 S. McLafferty Road.

If you have questions or would like more information about the bulk fill station, call the City of Carbondale Water Treatment Plant at (618) 457-3241 or the 24-hour hotline at (618) 529-1731.

Water Bill Changes

The city is dropping the postcard format for its water and sewage bill in favor of a envelope format, which will include a self-addressed envelope for returning the bill and payment. A bit more expensive format but will probably increase the numbers of people who pay on time as now they will be able to easily drop a check in the mail as compared to having to make the trip to city hall or one of the other payment points. You can also play your bill online at the city website as noted in the press release but doubt that the same people who forget to come to the office to pay their bill will remember to go to the website. The press release is below:

The next time a Carbondale resident receives a water bill in the mail, it may look a little different.  

Water bills will now come in a letter format, folded and in a sealed envelope as opposed to the old postcard format. Customers will receive a pre-addressed envelope with their bill. However, a stamp will still be required.

The City hopes the new format will help cut down on a number of delivery issues.

Payments can still be made at City Hall, online at www.explorecarbondale.com, by mail or at select area banks (First Southern Bank, First Bank, First Mid-Illinois Bank & Trust and The Bank of Carbondale).

Water Meeting

With the concern about Flint Michigan's water system and the proposed chicken farm near Cedar Lake, this seems like a good opportunity to get your questions answered about Carbondale water:

Water Quality Report

The annual water quality report has gone out and once again, Carbondale's water sources exceed all standards.  In fact, if you hand out around city hall in later summer, you can usually find bottles of Shawnee Mist water from Cedar lake that the city bottles and gives away.

Toxic Algae in Piles Fork Creek

Received a press release from Kevin Baity's office this evening:

The City of Carbondale is issuing a skin contact and toxicity alert for the water in Evergreen Reservoir and in Piles Fork Creek. At approximately 11am today, staff was alerted that the water in Piles Fork Creek was turning a bluish color in isolated areas. Investigations found the area of initial concern to be between Evergreen Reservoir on Pleasant Hill Road and South Wall Street near Grand Avenue.

Samples were immediately gathered and laboratory testing is currently being completed. Initial results indicate natural forming toxic algae may be present. Additional samples are being taken, prepared and testing will be completed next week by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency.

The public is advised and warned to keep yourself, your children and your pets out of Evergreen Reservoir and Piles Fork Creek and to avoid all contact with the water. The absence of the bluish color does not mean the water is clean as the algae is slow moving and may have already moved through the area or dissipated causing the water to return to a clear state. The algae deplete the oxygen level in the water thereby causing fish and other water living animals and organisms to die.

Human exposure to the water may result in skin rashes. Animals swimming in or drinking the water may become sick with potentially fatal consequences.

The drinking water supply for the City of Carbondale and its satellite water districts is safe and not affected as the supply comes from Cedar Lake and not Evergreen Reservoir.

Additional information will be passed along as laboratory testing is completed.

City Council 8/7/2012

Moderately unexciting city council meeting tonight.   The LCC approved the Class F1 liquor license  for the Southern Illinois Irish Festival, then the council approved the various organizations seeking Fair Days (allowing the sale of alcohol at an event) designation.

There was some discussion on the proposal putting the question of electric aggregation on the ballot this fall, which passed.   As I understand it, a yes vote on the referendum will allow the city to enter into a contract for the city's electricity with an electricity aggregator, which may save the city and residents several cents per killowatt used. If the proposal passes, the city would negotiate with an aggregator to secure a favorable rate for residents and small businesses in the city.  Once established, from my reading, residents would have to "opt out" of the program or be "opted in" by default.

Two zoning requests came up next, one to rezone property at 401 N. Glenview from Business and Residential to all Planned Business.  After some concern, expressed by Don Monty, about extending business zoning into a residential area, the rezoning request passed.

The second one, a request to rezone property on Widdows Lane from General Agriculture to Rural Residential, sparked much more controversy as several of  the residents of Widdows Lane spoke against the rezoning.  The applicant wished to rezone the property so as to sell 1 acre for a house, retaining the other 14 acres as agricultural.  Several people spoke against the rezoning, fearing that, while the current property owner only wanted to add one house to the parcel, future owners might opt to build additional house, disrupting the atmosphere for which the current residents moved to Widdows Lane and increasing traffic along a road not designed for it.  After quite a bit of discussion, council voted to deny the rezoning request.

The council also considered a request from the water and sewer department to, among other things, increase the security deposit for water and sewer services.  The city noted that, while water and sewer rates had risen several times since the 1990s, the amount of the security deposit had remained the same since 1998. The current security deposit of $65 does not cover the average cost of one month's service.  Also under consideration were increasing the reconnect fee as the current $20 charge does not cover the costs associated with reconnecting a home.  Corine McDaniels, especially, was opposed to increasing the costs as she felt it would create an undue hardship on lower income residents of the community, especially students.  Due to some questions about vagueness in wording, the item was withdrawn from consideration and sent back to city staff for more revision.

Council next moved on to a proposal to increase towing fees associated with cars towed as a result of violations of the law.  Proposed administrative fees were $200 for tows associated with misdemeanors and $400 for those associated with a felony.  The police department estimated such fees would generate $125,000 per year, which would help replace squad cars and other police equipment.  Several council members thought the fees were quite high and citizen comments were split,with one person speaking in favor and one against.  Council eventually voted 4-3 ( I think, it was getting late) in favor of adopting the new fees.

City Council Meeting

Well, that was over fast.  With minimal discussion, the council unanimously (absent councilpeople Lance Jack and Jane Adams) approved ending minimum rates of water and sewer as of April 30 of 2012, switching to charging for the actual amount used and bumping that up over the next 5 years to pay for needed infrastructure improvements to the system.  Not much of a surprise here.

Also, council voted unanimously to participate in the League of Cities  Prescription Discount Card Program. This is a program that allows residents of participating cities to sign up for a discount card they can use as participating pharmacies for an average discount of 23% on prescriptions not otherwise covered by insurance.  The city considered participating in the program several years ago but decided against it at the time since only a couple of local pharmacies participated and council felt the program would both give an unfair advantage to those pharmacies and implicitly give the city's endorsement to them.  Now that approximately twelve pharmacies in the area participate, any advantage appears moot.

It is interesting to note and a commentary on how difficult it is to operate an independent pharmacy in today's market, that a search of participating pharmacies returns only one in Carbondale that is not part of a discount or supermarket chain.

On the Agenda

The Liquor Control Commission will vote on approving a Class A2 license for Evelyn's tonight.  Evelyn's is a new Cajun/comfort food restaurant opening at 519 S. Illinois, in the location previously occupied by Express Burrito and Jimmy John's.

The main thing on the council proper's agenda is the proposed ordinance adjusting city water and sewer rates, which will bring in about $10 million for sewer and water line repairs over the next five years. 

Water and Sewer Rate Meeting

Caught last night's meeting discussing proposed increase in city water and sewer rates.  The summary of our systems is that, while the systems are well maintained, there is a need to replace significant amount of pipe and tanks that are damaged due to wear and tear and aging.  The city has averaged about 61 water main breaks  and just over 120 sewer line stoppages per year over the past 4 years (significantly higher in 2008 due to damage caused by the windstorm).  Needed repairs include replacing water mains, lining sewer pipes, repairs to sewer lines, replacement of underground tanks and enlargement of some mains, and looping of water lines.

Currently the city charges residential and commercial customers $3.35 per 1,000 gallons, with a minimum monthly fee of $10.05 for the initial 3,000 gallons  Sewer fees run $3.56 per 1000 gallons.

The proposed rate increases would eliminate the minimum monthly fee and generate approximately $10 million over the next 5 years.  This would fix the most immediate problems and see us well into this century (To bring the entire system to tip top shape would cost an estimated $50 million).  If you are a low use user (1000 gallons per month, your approximate rates would would run  $21.78 in 2012 then drop too $14.67 in 2013 and increase up to $19.01 in 2016.  A moderate level user (2600 gallons per month) would see rates increase from $21.78 in 2012 to $27.31 in 2013  and to $35.41 by 2016.  A high usage customer (4200 gallons) would see rates increase from $30.49 in 2012 to $39.95 in 2013 and up to $51.81 by 2016.  The city does not expect to see rates drop back to pre-repair numbers after the repair work is completed.

Letter to the Editor

The Carbondale Times has an editorial in the Dec. 9th issue (still available at finer free newspaper racks around town but not online) arguing that those citizens who organized against Mayor Cole's water privatization proposal overreacted against a proposal that "never had any legs". I disagreed and just sent this letter to the Times:

I read the editorial in the Dec. 9 issue of the Carbondale Times with interest, especially the statement that the plan to privatize the city's water "never had any legs" because Mayor Cole was "only one vote in an elected body of seven people". After Mayor Cole presented his set of proposals, and prior to the community meetings about privatization,at least two city council memebers had stated they were neutral on the privatization option. It was only after members of the community showed strong opposition that all six council members came out opposing it.

Mayor Cole has an enviable track record of both getting the city council to approve his proposals or implementing them as part of his office. Offhand, I can think of:

ending the closure of city offices during the lunch hour
enacting property tax abatement
closing the city supported child care program
putting into place a moratorium on new apartment construction
passing the Saluki Way tax
implementing the summer youth work program
purchasing and demolishing the American Tap
passing the rental inspection fee and program
eliminating the building and neighborhood services manager position

with at least three of those (Saluki Way, child care and neighborhood services manager) enacted over significant opposition from various segments of the community. Given Mayor Cole's success in implementing his proposals in the past and the amount of detail the mayor put into supporting this proposal, I think it is fair to say that those citizens opporsed to privatization had enough cause for concern to justify their organization against the proposal.

Privatization Done?

It is according to this article in the Southern:

With the prospect of privatizing city water and sewer services behind them, council members and Mayor Brad Cole must now decide how to best fill a budget deficit the city projects could be $5.8 million in the next two fiscal years. The city's overall budget this past year was about $42 million.

If it's in the Southern, it must be so. I don't see anyone actually cited in the article as saying the prospect is finito though and the folks who showed up at last night's film showing are certainly still concerned.

FLOW Presentation

Just got back from the Flow presentation at the civic center. About 25 people at the start, closer to 40 by the end. Questions were asked, statements were made, petitions were passed. Some interesting points brought out during the discussion:

1. $42 million for C'dale's water plant is a fire sale price. A new one would cost at least that much to build and that's not including the infrastructure already in place, nor the present value of future monies generated by the plant.

2. A call to the mayor of Urbana, which privatized its water some years ago, asking if Carbondale should do the same, got a strong NO from the mayor herself, who was quite willing to take time to talk about it. It seems after privatization, water pressure declined throughout the city to the point wher the fire dept. had problems functioning efficiently. At least two homes were lost to fire because of insufficient water pressure. Water quality and pressure to private residences declined as well.

3. The average Illinois household pays 36% more for water from a private utility that from a municipality.

The general feeling I got from the meeting was that the attendees prefered either a reinstatement of the property tax or a increase in the sales tax by 1/4% or even 1/2%. The latter would bring our sales taxes equal to Marion.