Democratic U.S. Rep. Eric Sorenson (IL-17th) is seeking $803,000 in federal Community Project Funding for Fiscal Year 2027 to support critical water and sewer infrastructure improvements along the Silvis 1st Avenue corridor.
The proposed $8-million project would replace a failing water main originally installed in 1912 while coordinating with the Illinois Department of Transportation’s planned reconstruction of 1st Avenue. Sorensen spoke about the need for funding Tuesday at a press conference at Silvis Police Department, citing a water main break there at 7th Street Monday.
“Safe to say that the water main has been doing a great job since 1912. It continues to do the job. So we have problems like last night, which begs the question, for how much longer will this infrastructure last? And we can't continue to wait for failure to happen.”
“This is the kind of project that makes a real difference,” Sorensen said of federal funding. “The water main under this particular street was installed in the year of 1912. Think about that for just a moment. What was life in Silvis like in 1912? The people in Silvis, they had no idea what an automobile was, right? Or let alone that there's going to be some cars and trucks running up and down our streets, that life would change so much.”
The Illinois DOT plans to replace 1st Avenue starting in 2031, and the city hopes to use TIF and more federal funds to do the water main replacement by 2029.
On Monday, Silvis issued a boil order for 7th Street, from 1st to 4th avenues, because of a water main break. The boil order was required whenever the water system pressure drops below 20 psi.
Residents in that area are advised (until further notice) to boil all water used for drinking and cooking for at least five minutes before consumption. Water samples will be taken in the neighborhood, then taken to a IEPA certified lab for analysis, and as soon as the city gets notice of satisfactory results the boil order will be lifted.
Unlike many issues in Congress, infrastructure is truly bipartisan, Sorensen said.
“Because this isn't going to blue houses or red houses or purple houses. This is infrastructure that's going to everyone,” he said Tuesday. “I learned from the very beginning in my very first term in Congress, if I go and fight for infrastructure projects like water, we can get those through, we can get those funded.”
“There's a really good shot that we're going to get this funding to be able to help out Silvis so that the community doesn't have to look at securing bonds that our kids are going to have to pay off or raise property taxes, because if property taxes continue to go up because we have infrastructure projects like this, people will look to a different hometown,” Sorensen said.
The water main along 1st Avenue is also a testament to engineering from 1912, that it still has worked, he noted.
"Also, it does show the risk that if we don't make these repairs and we don't do them the right way, that in the future these are going to fail with frequency such that communities aren't going to be able to survive. That’s where the federal government needs to come in and say, we're going to be partners in this to help you fix it,” Sorensen said.
City administrator Jerry Leibovitz said Tuesday that a combination of federal, state, and city TIF funds may be combined for the project.
“We're going to continue to apply for more funding, but it also falls within a TIF district. And so our TIF dollars can go towards infrastructure as well,” he said. “We're looking at being able to solve some of this and bridge that gap with some of the TIF money as well and put it back into our infrastructure.”
“We continue to apply for state grants as well for all the projects,” Leibovitz said, noting that 3rd Street is in the worst shape along 1st Avenue. He told Sorensen:
“I’m just really appreciative that we have the attention of the federal government through your office, through your support. And I think I can speak on behalf of everyone in the room that works and lives here in Silvis,” Leibovitz said.
“Your staff has been excellent, your support has been excellent. So I thank you for that. We look forward to keeping this partnership going.”
“If we can replace infrastructure before the state, or if it's a federal highway comes and repairs it, it saves money in the long run,” Sorensen said. “We've been working with Peoria Heights to do that. They had a water infrastructure issue, and we were able to get funding for them to replace the water infrastructure below the road, so then IDOT could come through and finish on top of it.”
Earlier this year, Sorensen got $25 million passed in a House bill for the Quad-Cities region to strengthen critical water, sewer, and river infrastructure, including $1.1 million in water and sewer line improvements on Silvis’ 3rd and 7th streets.
This story was produced by WVIK, Quad Cities NPR. We rely on financial support from our listeners and readers to provide coverage of the issues that matter to the Quad Cities region and beyond. As someone who values the content created by WVIK's news department, please consider making a financial contribution to support our work.
