State Rep. Jeff Keicher, R-Sycamore, met with officials of the Kishwaukee Water Reclamation District (KWRD) and toured their facility today, fresh off his recent appointment to the Public Utilities Committee in the Illinois House of Representatives for the 2021-2023 term.
“I am impressed with the work the folks at KWRD are doing to improve service, maintain infrastructure, and enhance communication with the public,” Rep. Keicher said. “Specifically, I enjoyed learning about their projects to extend wastewater treatment service to neighboring communities while literally turning sewage into electrical power. Now that I have just been appointed to serve on the Public Utilities Committee in the Illinois House, I intend to work closely with all our local water reclamation districts and utility providers to improve the reliability, quality, and efficiency of service delivered to consumers.”
The KWRD is a Class I Wastewater Treatment facility regulated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency under the direction of the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. On average, KWRD discharges 6.5 MGD of effluent to the Kishwaukee River and is responsible for planning, collection, treatment, and disposal of all wastewater in its Facilities Planning Area, which contains the City of DeKalb, Northern Illinois University, and unincorporated areas of DeKalb County.
Incorporated as the DeKalb Sanitary District in 1928, it reorganized as KWRD in 2017 to better reflect a modernized approach to wastewater treatment and resource recovery. KWRD’s $53 million Phase 1B Improvements Project was completed in February 2021 and positions it to meet more stringent discharge standards, extend service to neighboring communities, and become 100% energy independent.
KWRD Executive Director Mark Eddington stated, “We are proud of our state-of-the-art facility and confident it will provide our region with an economic and environmentally sustainable solution to its wastewater needs. Increasingly stringent EPA regulations provide challenges to smaller communities that often struggle to afford the high costs of compliance. By reorganizing into a water reclamation district and implementing major plant improvements, KWRD can meet new and emerging water quality standards, improve electrical resiliency, and provide a lower cost option for neighboring communities’ wastewater needs.”
For questions or more information, please call Rep. Keicher’s office at (815) 748-3494.