The Otter Lake Water Commission has submitted is plan, as well as a loan application for nearly $2 million, to the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) public water supply loan program. The Otter Lake commission is responsible for water treatment and for the distribution systems that transmit water to 467 individual and nine wholesale customers in an area that includes Auburn, Divernon, Girard, Pawnee, Thayer, Nilwood, Glenarm, Tovey, South Palmyra Rural Water District, Henderson Rural Water District and rural customers.
The commission in 2010 completed a $6 million expansion to the water treatment plant on the east side of Otter Lake just west of Girard, IL. The additional money will allow the plant to meet a new requirement for the cryptosporidium parasite that will require additional treatment. The microscopic parasite can cause diarrhea and more severe complications, particularly in children or people with immune-system disorders.
The commission had engineering studies done to determine the most cost-effective way of removing the parasite, as well as controlling taste and odor. Based on those evaluations, an ultraviolet light system with advanced oxidation process was selected.
The project is scheduled for completion by October 2013.