Our History
The Bloomington Township Public Water District was formed in 1967 to provide water service to the unincorporated areas lying to the south, west and east of the City of Bloomington. It took many years to get to the point that BTPWD actually distributed water to the first customers.
The district negotiated with the City of Bloomington for about five years and in January, 1975, a contract between the two bodies was approved. Although intended to serve areas to the south, west and east, water service was originally only supplied to the area west of Bloomington (West Phase).
The “West Phase” was built with a loan of $365,000; a grant of $355,000 from the federal Farmers Home Administration (FmHA) and approximately $20,000 from the homeowners that signed up to use the system. West Phase has grown from the original 200 customers to almost 700 customers.
This West Phase service area receives its water from the City of Bloomington Public Water Supply via a master meter and control valve vault. The City of Bloomington draws its water from two surface water supply reservoirs and is treated at the Lake Bloomington Water Treatment Facility. No additional treatment of the finished water purchased from the City of Bloomington is performed by the BTPWD for this service area. The water is distributed via 2-, 4-, 6-, and 8- inch primarily PVC mains to residential customers.
Residential service taps consist predominantly of small diameter (3/4’ – 2”) copper or polyethylene pipes. Water storage is provided by a 100,000 gallon elevated steel tank (constructed in 1977). Average pressure in the distribution system is 60 psi
Crestwicke: In 2000, a water main was constructed from the City of Bloomington to the Crestwicke area through a low-interest loan program. The wells were disconnected at that time. Crestwicke now has almost 350 customers.
In 2005, BTPWD utilized its statutory powers to become a sanitary sewer waste collector. Future subdivisions within the BTPWD Crestwicke area will be able to connect to the Bloomington Normal Water Reclamation District (BNWRD) sewer line running through Crestwicke Country Club. Existing homeowners can also connect to the system as septic systems in various neighborhoods wear out.
