If your water comes from EJ Water Cooperative, a major upgrade is on the way.
Newly re-elected Congresswoman Mary Miller announced on Monday that $4.5 million in federal funding has been secured to expand the ‘Delbert Mundt Water Treatment Plant,’ an investment that will double the facility’s treatment capacity. The plant serves families, farms, and businesses, across seven Central Illinois counties including: Effingham, Cumberland, Shelby, Montgomery, Fayette, Christian and Clay.
The Delbert Mundt Plant was built in 2010 near Beecher City and serves EJ Water’s “fastest-growing” Western service area. Miller said the expansion is meant to keep up with that growth. “Our farmers, small businesses, and rural communities are the backbone of America, and they deserve the infrastructure necessary to thrive,” Miller said. “This investment will meet growing demand and strengthen the essential infrastructure that families and businesses across our rural communities will depend on for generations.”
EJ Water Cooperative was founded in 1989 and is the largest rural water cooperative in Illinois, serving a rural population of more than 48,000 residents. This isn’t the first time they’ve expanded to keep pace with demand. In 2023, it built a 250-million-gallon reservoir.
EJ Water Cooperative also works with smaller municipalities dealing with aging or inadequate water treatment facilities, helping provide dependable, affordable water service to underserved communities throughout Central Illinois.
