Cahokia Heights gets state money for sewer repairs months after governor said it would

Lexi Cortes
·3 min read

Editor’s note: This story was updated 4:40 p.m. Monday with confirmation from state officials that the money was released to Cahokia Heights.

Cahokia Heights has received funding from a $9.9 million state grant promised in August to begin needed sewer repairs, according to Illinois officials.

The Illinois Comptroller’s office released $2.4 million of the grant to the city on Monday. City officials have said the rest of the grant money will be provided as a reimbursement after Cahokia Heights submits receipts for its expenses.

Failing infrastructure has caused raw sewage backups and chronic flooding in homes, yards and streets for decades in a portion of the former city of Centreville, which consolidated into Cahokia Heights in 2021.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker said the $9.9 million would be “delivered today” during an Aug. 3 news conference. But oversight measures attached to the funding led to a monthslong planning and approval process.

The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, which is overseeing the grant, signed off on the final piece of required paperwork last week.

Olivia Kuncio, a spokeswoman for the governor, said it can typically take weeks for the Comptroller’s office to process checks for state expenses. Officials asked the comptroller to prioritize the payment to Cahokia Heights because it took a long time to get the paperwork together and approved for regulated state funds, according to Kuncio.

A draft document from the city of Cahokia Heights about how it would spend a $9.9 million state grant on needed sewer repairs includes written comments from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency seeking more specific language.
A draft document from the city of Cahokia Heights about how it would spend a $9.9 million state grant on needed sewer repairs includes written comments from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency seeking more specific language.

The Belleville News-Democrat reported at the beginning of the year that the city was still waiting on the state to send the funding it promised for sewer repairs five months earlier, as residents continued to experience sewage backups and flooding.

The BND’s reporting prompted state Rep. Kevin Schmidt, R-Millstadt, to send a letter to the governor in January urging him to send the promised funding.

Schmidt is a new representative for Cahokia Heights in House District 114. He defeated LaToya Greenwood in the Nov. 8 election.

Pritzker’s office has said the required review process helps ensure taxpayer dollars are being used appropriately.

“It’s a high priority for all of us to make sure that the funding comes, but we have to do it within the rules that are set up for those kinds of grants,” the governor said last month in response to reporter questions about the delay during an unrelated news conference.

Cahokia Heights Mayor Curtis McCall Sr. did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Walter Byrd, a 65-year-old resident, said Monday he remains skeptical of a long-term fix because he has seen the sewage and flooding issues return over the years. “Water’s gonna come back again,” he said.

Byrd said the involvement and oversight of the state Environmental Protection Agency gives him some more confidence.

The $9.9 million grant will pay for the following work, according to the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency:

  • Rehabilitation and/or restoration of approximately 35 lift stations.

  • Rehabilitation and/or restoration of approximately 5,800 linear feet of impaired sewer line.

  • Repair of approximately 1,500 linear feet of pipe.

  • Construction of approximately 5,800 linear feet of cured-in-place pipe liner.

  • Slip lining of approximately 3,500 linear feet of the city’s main trunk line, the pipeline carrying sewage through the city to a treatment plant.

In a joint news release, Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza, state Rep. Jay Hoffman, D-Swansea, and state Sen. Christopher Belt, D-Swansea, expressed their support for the coming sewer upgrades.

“This project is a significant investment in Cahokia Heights that will develop a 21st century wastewater system that will address flooding, improve reliability and ensure residents have access to the clean water they deserve,” Hoffman stated. “... With this funding released, I look forward to seeing shovels in the ground very soon.”

The city may also use a portion of the initial release of money to satisfy a matching funds requirement for an additional U.S. Army Corps of Engineers grant, Kim Biggs, spokeswoman for the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, said Monday.