Krishnamoorthi Delivers $1 Million for Major Lake Michigan Water Infrastructure Project to Provide Clean Drinking Water and Combat Microplastics

ELMHURST, Illinois - Today, Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi joined the DuPage Water Commission (DWC) to announce $1 million in federal Community Project Funding he secured to advance Stage 1 of the Lake Michigan Regional Water Supply Initiative, a major regional infrastructure project that will provide safe, reliable drinking water while addressing contaminants including lead, PFAS, and microplastics.

The approximately $3 billion, 15-year initiative will create a modern regional water system expected to benefit up to 2 million residents across Northeastern Illinois. The project will include a new Lake Michigan raw-water intake, regional drinking-water treatment plant, and tunnels, pipelines, and pumping stations across Cook and DuPage counties. The new treatment plant will be specifically designed to treat microplastics, PFAS, and other emerging contaminants, while the broader project will replace aging infrastructure and help reduce risks associated with lead entering drinking water.

The $1 million Congressman Krishnamoorthi secured will support geotechnical work to provide a foundational engineering report for the installation of finished-water tunnels that will help deliver Lake Michigan drinking water to communities across the region.

"Every family deserves to know that when they turn on the faucet, the water coming out is safe to drink," said Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi. "I'm proud to have secured $1 million in federal funding for this project, which will provide safe Lake Michigan drinking water to communities across our region while protecting Illinoisans from threats like microplastics and PFAS. As I continue leading the fight in Congress to combat microplastics in our drinking water, I'll keep supporting investments here at home that will build the modern water infrastructure our families need for generations to come."

Last month, Congressman Krishnamoorthi led a bicameral letter with Representative Janelle Bynum and Senators Jeff Merkley and Cory Booker, joined by 53 additional lawmakers, urging the Environmental Protection Agency to begin nationwide monitoring of microplastics in drinking water. The lawmakers called on EPA to add microplastics to its Sixth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule to measure Americans' exposure, inform future health-protective standards under the Safe Drinking Water Act, and respond to emerging research linking microplastics to serious adverse health effects.

"This federal funding is an important step forward for the Lake Michigan Regional Water Supply Initiative and a testament to the power of regional collaboration," said James F. Zay, Chairman of the DuPage Water Commission. "We are grateful to Congressman Krishnamoorthi for his support of this transformative project. By working together, we are making a long-term investment in the region's future growth, resiliency, and quality of life."

"A multi-billion-dollar investment of this scale is about building critical water infrastructure-and sustaining thousands of good-paying jobs, supporting skilled trades, and creating a stable pipeline of work for working families across Northeast Illinois for the next 15 years," said James M. Sweeney, President-Business Manager of International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150. "Long-term infrastructure investment gives labor the certainty to train, hire, and build the workforce needed to deliver projects that will serve our communities for generations."

The project is expected to provide a more reliable regional water supply while supporting future growth and business investment and creating significant union employment during its approximately 15-year design and construction period.

Congressman Krishnamoorthi and the DuPage Water Commission were joined at the event by state and regional elected officials, labor representatives, professional service associations, and representatives of environmental and state agencies.