Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD)
Board Meeting
April 17, 2025

The request to advertise a contract to furnish and deliver lamps and emergency lighting was deleted by the Acting Executive Director (Agenda Item # 18, 25-0294).  All other agenda items were approved, with no discussion of the merits.  

• Ann Hokum of ETHOS (Environment, Transportation, and Open Space, a registered block club in the South Shore Community) raised concerns about the proposed Quantum Computing development at the South Works site and the potential toxic pollutants at the site that could impact Lake Michigan through storm water run-off.  The group is also concerned about the issue of industrial water usage at the site and wants to make sure there is a closed system used to prevent any discharges.
• Commissioner Waller did pull the reappointment of two people to the MWRD’s Ethics Commission for discussion, but in order for an explanation as to how the public can find out how to submit a complaint to the Ethics Commission.  Acting Executive Director John Murray said that the information is on the MWRD web site.  Note:  This Observer did a search on the MWRD web site and found the information is located at https://mwrd.org/what-we-do/management-and-administration/ethics-commission-and-ethics-advisor
• During the New Business section, President Steele and Commissioners McElroy Kirkwood and Brady-Davis talked about the MWRD’s trip to Springfield the prior week to meet with legislators of both parties to lobby for their legislative priorities.  Commissioner Waller mentioned one bill that the MWRD supported, HB2515, that has passed out of the House and is now in the Senate.  This bill is called the PFAS Wastewater Citizen Protection Act.

While not discussed, there were 2 items pertaining to Stormwater Management:  

• A report on submittals from municipalities and townships seeking assistance through the MWRD’s Voluntary Flood-Prone Property Acquisition Program (Agenda Item #29, 25-0308.)  There were 3 submissions, identifying 40 properties.  After review, 2 of the 3 proposals in Lyons and Markham are recommended as projects, but for a total of 22 properties.  There will be a subsequent request for Board approval to negotiate intergovernmental agreements.
• A request for authority to enter into an intergovernmental agreement with the Village of La Grange Park for the MWRD to fund $4 M of the total estimated cost of $13.2 M for a Central Area Sewer Separation Project.  This project is expected to mitigate flooding, benefitting an estimated 522 structures, and to reduce impacts on local roadways by increasing sewer capacity ad providing detention for excess stormwater runoff.

Length of Business Meeting:  30 minutes, with an Executive Session of 1 hour and 10 minutes prior to New Business at the end of the meeting.

Observer:  Priscilla Mims

Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD)
Board Meeting,
April 3, 2025
 
After unsuccessful negotiations with the Cook County Office of the Independent Inspector General to renew its Intergovernmental Agreement for investigative services, the MWRD moved ahead to establish its own office and prepare to begin a search for an experienced person to lead the department.  The board also approved the appointment of retired Cook County Inspector General, Patrick Blanchard, to work for the MWRD as the Interim Inspector General.   Mr. Blanchard was in charge of the MWRD’s IIG responsibilities under the intergovernmental agreement until his retirement in late 2023.                                Items #2&3  25-0277, 025-010

Other Items of Interest

• The board approved advertising for very high-skilled laboratories to respond to the MWRD’s request for analysis of per and polyfluoroalkyl substances and absorbable organic fluorine in wastewater samples.  Will also test biosolids.  Commissioner Steele said that only the best of the best labs can do this right now; which, down the road, might be worth bringing in-house.  Commissioner Waller made several requests of a technical nature, and President Steele asked that Waller send her an email containing both her requests and her comments.   #12 25-2406
• At the March 20, 2025, Commissioner Garcia deferred two furnish and deliver contracts asking that Procurement look to see if the contracts can be “unbundled” to allow for small minority and women owned businesses to compete.  At this meeting, he voted to approved the contracts after hearing that neither unbundling or changing from one to a two-year contract to meet the dollar threshold for furnish and deliver contracts to come under the diversity requirements of the District were not practical in this instance.  President Steele said that this long-time vendor for the glass and plastic labware was very good.  Garcia asked for an analysis over a 10-year period on whether prices change that much from year to year.          #22&23  25-0226, 25-0236
• Several 2024 excellence awards were received in financial reporting, budgeting, retirement fund and its health care fund.
  

New Business

• President Steele announced that 2025 is the 5th year of MWRD’s current Strategic Plan and that Interim Executive Director, John Murray, will roll out a plan in May to start the process of developing the next five-year plan.
  

Deleted or Deferred Agenda Items 

• Interim Executive Director Murray deleted Item #34-0273 which is the authority to negotiate an intergovernmental Agreement with the Chicago Transit Authority for the Red Line Extension Project.

NO Executive Session        

​Observed by:  Diane Edmundson                  Meeting Length:  63 minutes

Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) Board Meeting
March 20, 2025

Resolution lauding retiring Executive Director Brian Perkovich.  Commissioners joined in wishing the ED well and thanking him for his 31 years of service at the MWRD.

Board Action:
Commissioner Garcia requested agenda items #21 and #22 be considered together. 

• The items involved the awarding of a contract to Furnish and Deliver Glass and Plastic Labware, etc.
  
• Commissioner Garcia had many questions about how many vendor bids were received, how long the procurement would take and whether there were participation goals. How many were one-year contracts vs multi-year? Wouldn’t it be more efficient to do multi-year contracts which would increase the amount so that MG goals can be applied? 
  
• ED Perkovich was not able to answer these detailed questions at the meeting but said he would respond. 
  
• Commissioner Garcia’s requested deferral of both items.
• Commissioner Kirkwood stated that asking these questions before the meeting would be better. Commissioner Waller suggested that smaller contracts were good for diversity. 
• Commissioner Sepulveda stated a need to understand the logic for smaller contracts, asking how do we assess which is better?   25-0225 and 25-0227

Agenda Item #31 gave authority to approve an Amended Agreed Order of Settlement for MWRD v. Electronic Plating Co.

• The MWRD Legal Department stated that compliance with the hearing officer ruling is best for the MWRD. Commissioner Davis asked if this would deter future noncompliance and asked what monitoring device would be used to ensure this. Would the monitoring be daily? weekly? Answer: there would be sampling every day
• Commissioner Waller expressed wish for deferral and an exploration of a new settlement. She stated that she would be voting no.
• Commissioners Flynn and Brady-Davis expressed reservations but would vote yes. 
• Commissioner Sepulveda chastised the company for violating board orders; MWRD will be increasing penalties in the future.
• Counsel for the company stated that his client will comply. 
• ommissioner Davis stated that this is a lesson that the Board needs to revisit the compliance penalties.  Commissioner Kirkwood requested a roll call vote.   Aye: 8        Nay: 1. 25-0154

Deferred or Deleted Agenda Items:

• Deleted by Executive Director: # 19 (25-0201) and #27 (25-0224)
• Deferred:  Items #21and #22 by Garcia (see above)  
• #23-0236 by Steele with no discussion. Resolution to award a $14.9 million contract for chemical phosphorus removal in treated water at the O’Brien plant before release into the river.

New Business:

• Commissioner Flynn raised issue of industrial hemp as a new cultivar. She proposed that the Board investigate this. 

Observer:  Georgia Gebhardt         ​Meeting Length - 109 minutes - No Executive Session

Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) Board Meeting –
March 6, 2025

PFAS Toxins (Bio-solids disposal) 
Commissioner Dr. Sharon Waller pulled three items from the consent agenda for public discussion and asked they be considered together. All  are linked to the District’s regular disposal of sewage by-products (biosolids) containing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).  
PFAS are commonly known as “forever chemicals.” The three items were:

• Item #17. 25-0118 (deferred from February 20th meeting).
• Staff sought authority to pay Synagro Central, LLC (an Agricultural resource company) $3.8 million to remove, transport, distribute and use air dried solid by-products from the Stickney and Calumet wastewater treatment plants.  
• Item #19. 25-0168. In a similar request staff asked for approval to pay Stewart Spreading, Inc. $29.1 million to remove air dried solid by-products from the Stickney and Calumet wastewater treatment plants.
• Item #18. 25-0166. This item awards $3.8 million to McGill Construction for heavy equipment and operators. The contract includes the use of minority subcontractors. It appears the men and equipment will  load the PFAS-affected biosolids into trucks for transport.

During discussion:

• Commissioner Waller noted the District produces 150,000 dry tons of biosolids each year and she would like to see the MWRD end current practice of land application of sludge products on farm fields. Her constituents are concerned about this issue. She’d like the agency to adopt a policy to reuse water and solids after treatment.  Current practice of selling biosolids for application on farmland meets “evolving” EPA regulations, but change is needed. She requested roll call vote on items 17 and 19.   
• Commissioner Davis agreed the District needs a solution to the biosolids disposal issue and asked when a Black & Veech engineering report commissioned in July 2024 would be available to the Board.  Executive Director Perkovich replied the consulting contract goes through 2026, and that preliminary results might not be available until late 2025. Operations Director John Murray said the Biosolids removal “season” begins in late March and early April, and encouraged the Board to approve the items and allow staff to answer questions later.
• Commissioner Corral-Sepulveda said the Board has been waiting for  Federal direction on how to proceed with this issue—an EPA mandate. It doesn’t appear that’s coming. The District needs a contingency plan, which is the point of the engineering study.  Without information from the study, the Board doesn’t have new options.
• President Steele Directed Mr. Perkovich to transmit to the Board a report on the  information the District currently has on the solids disposal issue.
• After a roll call vote, Items 17 and 19 were passed 8 to 1; Commissioner Waller voted no on each item. Item 18 passed with all commissioners voting yes.

Industrial pollution settlement deferred

• Item #25. 25-0154 The MWRD legal department presented the Board with an Amended Agreed Order of Settlement in a case of Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago v. Electronic Plating Co. 
• Commissioner Davis deferred the item, saying the settlement raises concerns voiced at earlier meetings by several commissioners about the District’s penalty process.  He noted that Electronic Plating was a chronic offender – 27 violations over a decade. Given the District’s cap on penalties, he suggested circuit court as an effective deterrent.    

Executive Director Perkovich to retire April 1

• Item #32. 25-0196. The Board approved without discussion a motion to appoint John Murray as Acting Executive Director.  There was not a formal announcement, but Commissioners mentioned during the meeting that Mr.  Perkovich would retire April 1.

St. Patrick’s Day resolutions and labor recognition:

• The morning’s meeting opened with a 16-minute celebration of the 70th Anniversary of Chicago’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade and recognition of the Irish heritage of the many labor unions that helped build and maintain the MWRD’s infrastructure.  
• Vice President Flynn introduced James Coyne, business manager of Plumber’s local 130 and Chair of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade.  Mr. Coyne entertained the Board with the Parade’s history and introduced the 2025 Parade Queen and her court.  The celebrants were piped in and out of the meeting by the Shannon Rovers Pipe Band in full regalia. The Board passed 2 Resolutions related to St. Patrick’s Day, and President Steele introduced more than a dozen leaders of various local unions who were in attendance.

Observer: Laurie Morse                       Meeting length: 2 hours and 23 minutes including executive session.

Metropolitan Water Reclamation Water District (MWRD) Board Meeting  
February 6, 2025

Commissioner Cam Davis deferred authorization to continue an $80,000 payment to the CC Sheriff’s office Prescription Drug Take-Back program.  He noted that in January of 2022,  the Illinois Legislature passed a law to shift the cost of take-back programs to the Pharmaceutical Companies and asked what progress staff has made to effect this change.  He is open to passing the resolution for a period of 2-3 months, and noted that when, in the past, he asked staff when it would be ready, he was told “we will look into it”. President Steele voiced her strong support for the intergovernmental agreement and noted that 95.5% is for administrative costs. Waller noted that it would likely be the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association that would be the contact and the one responsible for payment. Several commissioners asked for more information including the legislative text, a 2-year invoice of costs, next steps/ timelines.   #24 25-0082

Other Items of Interest

• Attorney, Jeffrey Mathis, was appointed as a Hearing Officer for hearing appeals under the MWRD’s User Charge Ordinance; for conducting proceedings under the Sewage and Waste Control Ordinance and the Watershed Management Ordinance; and for conducting other administrative proceedings as needed.   #1 25-0102
• The Board approved Ordinance 025-002 directing the County Clerk to reduce the levy of taxes on Capital Improvement Bonds for the levy year 2024.  Commissioner Brady-Davis thanked the Treasurer for the reduction and for saving taxpayer money.  #2 025-002
• Cam Davis asked about the cost/benefit of approving Staff’s request to accept pricing for the purchase of Renewable Energy Credits for 2025 and 2026. The Director of Operations & Maintenance said it would result in an $800,000 cost of energy savings for the District.  #7 25-008
• The Board authorized payment in the amount of no more than $100,000 to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the MWRD’s share of the cost for the Upper Des Plaines River and Tributaries Study.  Commission Waller used this as an example of the type of items she would like to see be “hot linked” in the agenda to provide more information and transparency to the public. President Steele asked the Executive Director to meet with Commissioner Waller and bring forward a proposal to the board for consideration.  #23 25-0106
• Approval was granted to settle an eminent domain easement lawsuit for $197,500 to be paid  from the Stormwater Management Fund for the Addison Creek Channel improvements project. #25 25-0110
• Approved a contract not to exceed $7.14 M to haul processed biosolids from two plants. 
  
•       Meeting Length:  45 minutes    NO Executive Session     No Public Speakers    
  
•  Three Commissioners were absent [Garcia, Brown, Sepulveda]

​Observer - Diane Edmundson