The village of Itasca said Wednesday filed a lawsuit in DuPage County against Baxter & Woodman, Inc., Chicago, alleging breach of contract.
The lawsuit seeks $4 million in damages for issues relating to the wastewater treatment plant on Prospect Avenue designed by Baxter & Woodman.
Specific issues involve sludge remaining in a watery state, tight flow tolerance of the UV system, water flow remaining too high, water spills and lights shutting off when flow is too low.
Also, the technical monitoring equipment and software remains in a nonfunctional state.
'The village has worked patiently with Baxter & Woodman to resolve these issues, but frankly we’re running out of patience," Village Administrator Evan Teich said. "The performance specifications were clear. This plant does not meet those specifications. It’s like buying a new car that gets 60 percent of the miles per gallon you were expecting."
Teich said the plant was funded by low-interest loans over 20 years that are being paid back through water and sewer fees.
"We paid for a state-of-the-art facility. We made promises that we would be good stewards of the ecology of the area and we intend to keep our promises," Teich said.
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