Lake County Board Advances Plan to Eliminate
Del Mar Woods Sanitary District
The Lake County Board has taken another step toward a long-term plan to address aging sanitary sewer infrastructure in the Del Mar Woods subdivision in unincorporated Deerfield Township.
At its October 13 meeting, the County Board approved an ordinance creating a Special Revenue Fund for Lake County Special Service Area 18, Del Mar Woods. The new fund is one of the remaining steps needed to establish the funding structure that would support improvements and ongoing maintenance of the subdivision’s sanitary sewer infrastructure.
The Del Mar Woods subdivision dates back to 1926. Its sanitary sewer system was constructed in the 1970s and is currently managed by the Del Mar Woods Sanitary District, a resident-managed district that has not levied a tax for many years and has had difficulty maintaining an active board.
At the request of Del Mar Woods residents, the Lake County Department of Public Works (LCPW) studied the sanitary sewer system. The study, completed in January 2025, found that the system is deteriorating and recommended rehabilitating the existing sewer pipes before more extensive and costly repairs are necessary.
Following the study, Lake County conducted a residential poll to better understand how property owners would like to proceed. Residents overwhelmingly supported a plan for LCPW to operate and maintain the sanitary sewer system.
“Residents have been the driving force behind getting this issue to the forefront, and they’ve stayed engaged throughout the process,” said Paras Parekh, Lake County Board Member for District 12. “I’m grateful for their persistence and commitment to Del Mar Woods, and I’m glad we’ve been able to work together on a solution that will not only rehabilitate the existing sanitary sewer system but also provide reliable service for generations to come.”
The estimated cost of the sanitary sewer rehabilitation is approximately $600,000. Under the proposed plan, property owners in the subdivision would pay for the rehabilitation over 10 years through a Special Service Area assessment. The Special Service Area would also provide a dedicated source of funding for ongoing maintenance of the sanitary sewer infrastructure.
“For a community of about 85 homes, managing its own sanitary district is not a sustainable long-term solution,” said Lake County Board Chair Sandy Hart. “This ordinance provides a better path forward for the community and allows us to deliver these services more efficiently. I’m grateful to the residents, Member Parekh and our staff for taking the time to understand the situation and develop an approach that will serve the community well.”
The Special Service Area funding will be dedicated specifically to the public sanitary sewer and stormwater infrastructure within Del Mar Woods and cannot be used for other County purposes. As a separate effort, Lake County continues to work with the Lake County Stormwater Management Commission to explore potential improvements to stormwater infrastructure in the subdivision.
Once the full plan moves forward, LCPW will assume responsibility for operating and maintaining the sanitary sewer system, and the Del Mar Woods Sanitary District would ultimately be dissolved.
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