DeKalb City Council approves $5.3M water main project for south-side development, including Edged data center

The DeKalb City Council unanimously approved a $5.3 million water main extension project this week, selecting local contractor Elliott and Wood for the installation. The 3.8-mile extension of a 16-inch transmission water main will serve corridors along Illinois Route 23, Keslinger Road, and East Gurler Road. City Manager Bill Nicklas emphasized the project's importance for expanding economic development on the south side, highlighting its potential to generate property taxes and jobs. This infrastructure will specifically serve a new 560-acre Edged data center, which received approval in December, in addition to existing industrial users like Meta and Amazon. The total project cost of $5.3 million, including a city contingency, will be paid for using the city's water fund reserve, a strategy consistent with previous infrastructure funding. Nicklas explained that a low-interest loan program from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency was ruled out because it primarily targets rehabilitation of existing mains rather than new growth. 3rd Ward Alderman Tracy Smith inquired about the impact on the city's reserves, to which Nicklas assured that the water main work was planned for and the reserve would remain robust at approximately 50% of annual expenditures.