As we close out another remarkable year at EJ Water Cooperative, Inc., we’re excited to reflect on our significant achievements in 2025 and share our vision for the exciting developments ahead in 2026. This year marked a pivotal moment in our 36-year journey, demonstrating once again our commitment to providing excellent service to our members.
Infrastructure Expansion: Planning & Building for the Future
We are able to celebrate many accomplishments in 2025 including improvements to our Montrose, Spring Point, Strasburg and Middlesworth water towers. We also completed the installation of water mains and meters in Richland County to serve members who originally signed up with RE Water. As our cooperative continues to grow, the capacity of our water treatment plants continues to be stretched, so the Board has been proactive and made plans to increase capacity at our Delbert Mundt Water Treatment plant in 2025. With the overall scope and expense of the project being quite large, this will be broken down into smaller project phases. The first phase was completed this summer and was the addition of the high service pump room which added larger pumps to help during peak demands. The next phase will be expanding the treatment capacity for the plant. Phase 1 of the plant expansion project has started and will install two additional claricones, which look like large martini glasses, a head tank and a recarbonation vessel that looks similar to the tin man’s hat. These items will be installed but not painted or functional until phase two of the plant can proceed once funding is available. The highlight of 2025 was undoubtedly the completion of our new Operations and Maintenance Center which sits on approximately 15 acres in the Dieterich Industrial Park East. We celebrated this accomplishment with a Chamber After Hours Event hosting several local business owners and vendors who helped complete the project. The Operations and Maintenance Center represents more than just additional space – it’s a strategic investment in our operational efficiency and growth capacity. EJ is currently renting several different spaces to help accommodate inventory, equipment and mechanic shops, so the new facility will allow the consolidation of the co-op’s operations. The consolidation will streamline our operations, reduce costs and position us to serve our growing membership more effectively. By bringing our operations under one roof, we’re creating a more efficient workspace that will benefit both our team and our members.
Regional Leadership and Collaboration
Despite being the largest water cooperative in Illinois, EJ Water is committed to continuous learning and development. We are very thankful for the opportunities we had in 2025 which allowed us to partner with other organizations and participate in regional water initiatives such as the Association of Regional Water Organizations (ARWO) and National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) who allowed our team to participate in panel discussions to help us get smarter together. We also had the pleasure of participating in some local events such as Chamber Trade, Skills and Manufacturing Days and hosting local CEO classes for water treatment plant tours. We enjoy interacting with the next generation of leaders in our communities.
2025 Achievements & Recognition
2025 left us with many reasons to be proud and celebrate, such as the outstanding achievements of our team and departments. Pat O’Dell was honored as Surface Water Operator of the Year, recognizing his exceptional dedication to water quality and system reliability. Laura Koester was named a Top Community Leader under 40, a testament to her commitment to service and positive impact across our communities. And our Wastewater Operations team earned the Illinois Association of Water Pollutant Control Operators’ Group 4 Wastewater Plant of the Year for the Montrose facility, highlighting their excellence in plant performance and environmental stewardship. Congratulations to all—your hard work continues to raise the bar for our organization and the communities we serve!
Looking Ahead: What’s Next in 2026
As we look forward to 2026, we continue to feel blessed with the best. We have 16 licensed water operators with a combined 157 years of experience and 11 licensed wastewater operators with a combined 137 years of experience. That’s 294 years of experience in water and wastewater we are utilizing to help provide our members with the best service possible!
Our focus in 2026 will remain on our mission to improve the quality of life, the cooperative way. Construction has started on a new water tower outside the Village of Coalton in Montgomery County and a water main replacement project is underway in Owaneco both should be completed by the end of the first quarter of 2026. We will also be preparing plans to repurpose the building behind our office on Main Street for a new updated water lab, the addition of a wastewater lab and leadership and development facility. Adding the ability to process wastewater samples on site will increase our sampling efficiency and provide results in a timelier manner. The planned leadership and development center represent our commitment to workforce development and knowledge sharing within the water utility industry.
Here’s to another year of growth, innovation, and service excellence.
