The quality of Waterloo’s water has tested well from the start of its new plant going online in late December, and now the hardness level is rounding into shape as well.

As previously reported, several residents had voiced displeasure with the high hardness levels of the water provided by the city’s new plant – though only a couple of folks actually did so in person while others complained via social media.

Waterloo Director of Public Works JR Landeck provided a promising update last week that the equipment needed to soften the water at this new plant passed all required testing, and the plan was to bring it online. 

In a video posted Monday to the City of Waterloo’s official Facebook page, Ward 3 Alderman Kyle Buettner – as chairman of the city’s water and sewer committee – displayed the softening equipment in a video and said it was brought online last week.

“You should start seeing softer water at your house very soon, if you haven’t already been seeing it,” Buettner said in the video, adding that with the city operating its own plant, it “can control the cost and quality for the future of the Waterloo residents.” 

Waterloo’s new water treatment facility went online Dec. 18, ending a 30-year contract with Illinois American Water. 

Waterloo’s contract with Illinois American officially ended Oct. 31, but Illinois American agreed to continue supplying water until the city brought its new plant online.

On Jan. 1, water rates from Illinois American would have been increased by nearly 30 percent for city residents.

The new state-of-the-art treatment facility located in Valmeyer features a trio of wells off Bluff Road that drill into the Mississippi Aquifer, working one at a time throughout the day.

Hardness levels in the 290-300 milligrams per liter range had been reported for Waterloo since the new plant went online, with the desired range somewhere between 150-200.

The final hardness reading for Waterloo water when it was supplied by Illinois American was 223, though city officials have said it fluctuated widely under that provider.

During a utility meeting Monday night, Landeck said the city is seeing a vast improvement in the level of water hardness. 

He said that on Monday, the testing at 12:30 p.m. was 202 at the city’s elevated water tower. It was at 174 at 2 p.m. at the top of the reactor with a level of 170 for “finished water” – Landeck described that as “water headed to the city’s system.”

At 3:15 p.m., the hardness level at the top of the reactor was 152, with finished water reading at 163. At 3:40 p.m., the hardness level was at 149 at the top of the reactor and 159 on the effluent side of the filter.  

The City of Waterloo website provides the results of its water testing. Visit waterloo.il.us/departments/water/ for this information.

A separate issue related to the new water plant involved the recent suspension of two city underground utilities employees following criticism displayed over social media regarding a failed test with the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency in December, which was the month the new plant went online.

It was later determined that the city received an IEPA violation after it did not submit a required water sample in time for that month.  

Landeck has said at meetings this issue was rectified and all subsequent tests have been submitted successfully and passed.

One of the suspended employees, Alex Bishop,  has since resigned to accept a similar position elsewhere.

The other suspended employee, Jason Goff, was terminated by the city on Feb. 21 per an official notice obtained via the Freedom of Information Act. 

In this memo, which was signed by Landeck, the city cited “dereliction of duty and/or insubordination” related to the collection of water samples in December and January, violations of the city’s personnel policy manual, and “unethical or dishonest conduct in failing to be truthful during the investigation of potential misconduct.”  

As a member of the AFSCME union, Goff has the option to appeal this termination through the grievance process. It is not known if he has explored that option, as Goff has declined comment on the matter at this time. 

The city in September hired Certop Inc. – a contract water operating company out of Clinton County – for operation, maintenance and management of its water plant.

This decision came about following AFSCME union contract negotiations involving the city’s underground utilities employees, after which some of these employees voiced frustration that this work was not kept in-house. 

The new plant was facilitated and designed by Artesian of Pioneer Water Systems, with HMG Engineers overseeing construction and Korte & Luitjohan Contractors building the facility.