Board Approves Additional $9.5M Investment in Kirie Water Treatment Plant

Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) Board Meeting  
February 19, 2026

This Board meeting began and ended with Commissioners recognizing the contributions of the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr. to the City and its people, with Commissioners Brady-Davis and Steele giving especially moving accounts of the Rev. Jackson’s impact on their lives and careers.

Finance: The MWRD had cash disbursements of $70 million in January.

Projects: 

• Item #13 26-0120 After approving $27 million in electrical upgrades for the DesPlaines-based Kirie Water Treatment Plant at the February 5th Board Meeting, Commissioners approved without discussion at this meeting a $10 million contract with John Burns Construction Company, LLC for rehabilitation of portions of a service tunnel at the Kirie plant.  

Industrial Waste:

• Item #21 26-0134. Authority to settle lawsuit in Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago v. Electronic Plating Co., Case No. 2025L006657, seeking an injunction to keep sewer plugged and to impose additional civil penalties for violations of a final Board order entered in prior Show Cause proceedings, and to collect other amounts owed by Electronic Plating pursuant to the District’s ordinances
• This item was flagged by Commissioner Davis. In extensive discussion it was noted that Electronic Plating Company had been a serial industrial polluter since at least 2019 and various fines, other civil penalties and court orders had not stopped discharges exceeding MWRD clean water standards. MWRD attorneys confirmed the Company had violated a final Board order and said the company’s sewers were plugged on June 6, 2025.  It was noted the company had essentially ceased doing business.   
• After an initial deferral and discussion, Commission Davis agreed to return this item to the agenda, where the settlement agreement was approved.

Recreation and Community:

• Item #25  26-0132. President Steele deferred this item without discussion.
• Village of Crestwood Mayor Ken Klein made an impassioned plea to the Board in public comments, saying the Village was depending on revenue from gaming to pull the community out of a money-losing situation at the Crestwood Golf Course on it’s MWRD leasehold south of the Cal-Sag Channel and west of Cicero Ave.   He was distressed the item had been pulled from the meeting agenda on short notice, despite prior conversations with staff and two commissioners.  The Mayor said MWRD staff had agreed to a partial assignment of lease from the Village of Crestwood, to the Village of Crestwood and 4Crestwood LLC as co-tenants. The partial lease assignment would all allow the sale and consumption of alcohol and video gaming.  

Meeting Length: 55 minutes   Executive Session:  None  

Observer: Laurie Morse