Central Lake County Joint Action Water Agency

What Central Lake County Joint Action Water Agency does

Central Lake County Joint Action Water Agency (CLCJAWA) is an intergovernmental joint action agency formed in 1986 and operational since 1992, headquartered in Lake Bluff, Illinois. The agency provides wholesale treated Lake Michigan water to municipal members in Lake County, Illinois, serving approximately 285,000 residents across 14 member communities.

The agency's core infrastructure centers on the Paul M. Neal Water Treatment Facility, which has a treatment capacity of 50 million gallons per day (MGD) and currently operates at an average daily pumpage of 18-20 MGD. Finished water is distributed through a transmission network comprising more than 55 miles of pipeline and 24 underground delivery structures that connect directly to member community distribution systems. CLCJAWA operates the third-largest Lake Michigan water treatment system in Illinois and was the first conventional water treatment plant in the United States to achieve Phase IV Excellence in Water Treatment certification in 2005. The agency is staffed by 26 dedicated water supply professionals.

CLCJAWA's revenue model combines a volumetric wholesale water rate of $2.09 per 1,000 gallons charged to member communities with long-dated capital buy-in fees from new members structured as multi-decade, interest-free amortization. The most recent addition, Lake Zurich, committed $21,857,496 over 30 years at 0% interest in May 2024, with water delivery expected to commence in December 2028. The business model is structurally captive: members fund dedicated transmission connections and capital contributions that create durable switching costs, multi-decade revenue visibility, and a narrow but highly predictable customer base.

Name

Central Lake County Joint Action Water Agency

Legal name

Central Lake County Joint Action Water Agency

Website

https://clcjawa.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Central Lake County Joint Action Water Agency (CLCJAWA) is an intergovernmental cooperative that treats and wholesales Lake Michigan water to 14 member communities serving approximately 285,000 residents in Lake County, Illinois.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Water Utility Services

NAICS

Water, Sewage and Other Systems (2213)

SIC

Water Supply (4941)

akta.pro primary industry

Water Quality Monitoring, Compliance & Reporting (Sampling, Lab, Regulatory) (EUANAAAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Water & Wastewater Compliance (NPDES/Stormwater, Pretreatment, Drinking Water/SDWA) (EUAHABAB), Water Supply & Wastewater Utilities Administration (BPAIACAG)

Keywords

• Wholesale water supply
• Water treatment services
• Municipal water utility
• Drinking water production
• Water distribution infrastructure

Headquarters

HQ city

Lake Bluff

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Wholesale Water Sales: CLCJAWA operates as a water wholesaler providing Lake Michigan drinking water to member communities. All members pay the same wholesale water rate of $2.09 per 1,000 gallons regardless of size or distance from the treatment plant. Member communities distribute water to end consumers (residents and businesses) through their own public works departments.
2. Capital Buy-In Fees: New member communities pay capital buy-in fees calculated by escalating the $2,800 fee from 2014 members to present time using Consumer Price Index - Urban, multiplied by the number of housing units in the community. Lake Zurich's total capital buy-in was $21,857,496 paid over 30 years at 0.0% interest.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Central Lake County Joint Action Water Agency (CLCJAWA) is an intergovernmental cooperative that wholesales treated Lake Michigan drinking water to 14 member communities serving approximately 285,000 residents in Central Lake County, Illinois. The agency owns and operates the Paul M. Neal Water Treatment Facility (50 MGD capacity), which uses ozonation, inclined plate sedimentation, granular activated carbon filtration, and ultraviolet light disinfection, and distributes the finished water through 55+ miles of transmission pipeline to member municipalities.

Product overview

Central Lake County Joint Action Water Agency (CLCJAWA) operates as a public water utility providing wholesale drinking water supply and treatment services. The core offering is the Paul M. Neal Water Treatment Facility, a conventional water treatment plant with 50 million gallons per day capacity that processes Lake Michigan water through advanced treatment including ozonation, granular activated carbon filtration, ultraviolet light, and chlorination. The agency distributes treated water through over 55 miles of transmission pipeline to 14 member communities serving approximately 285,000 residents. Additional services include the Lake Zurich Pipeline Expansion project (scheduled for 2028), comprehensive water quality testing for over 300 contaminants, and educational tours. CLCJAWA operates as a water wholesaler and does not directly serve individual properties.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Drinking Water Treatment Services Conventional water treatment process using ozonation, coagulation, flocculation, inclined plate sedimentation, granular activated carbon filtration, ultraviolet light disinfection, and chlorination. Facility capacity of 50 million gallons per day. Provided to member municipalities.
• Wholesale Water Supply Wholesale drinking water supply to 14 member communities serving approximately 285,000 residents through 55+ miles of transmission pipe with sizes ranging from 12 to 48 inches in diameter.
• Water Quality Testing Services Comprehensive water testing for over 300 possible contaminants including regulated compounds, unregulated compounds, PFAS, pharmaceuticals, hormones, and microcystins. Includes real-time monitoring with dozens of analytical instruments throughout the 24-hour day.

Quantifiable outcome

• Water five times clearer than EPA required standards
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• T5 Data CentersminorOthersT5 Data Centers is developing a data center campus in the Cornerstone business park in Grayslake. The Village of Grayslake supplies water to the business park, purchasing from CLCJAWA. Total campus water use will be less than 50,000 gallons per day, representing only 0.25% increase in CLCJAWA's daily pumpage.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• City of Chicago Department of Water Management: Operates the world's largest water purification plants (James W. Jardine and Sawyer) on Lake Michigan, supplying Chicago retail customers and wholesale agencies including CLCJAWA's allocation source. Same source water, larger scale, same regulatory regime.
• Aqua Illinois: Investor-owned water and wastewater utility serving municipalities and rural customers across Illinois. Comparable municipal customer base and regulatory environment, with broader geographic spread and multiple source waters.
• Illinois American Water: Investor-owned regulated water utility serving many Illinois communities. Overlapping Lake Michigan source region and municipal customer base, though operates a broader portfolio of drinking water and wastewater systems.

Direct peers

• DuPage Water Commission: Illinois joint-action wholesale water agency that purchases Lake Michigan water from Chicago and sells at wholesale rates to municipalities in DuPage County. Operates under an identical intergovernmental model serving multiple member communities with uniform wholesale rates.
• Milwaukee Water Works: Municipal water utility operated by the City of Milwaukee treating Lake Michigan water. Same Great Lakes source, conventional advanced treatment, large-volume operations serving a regional population. Closely comparable water-quality and operational profile.
• Northwest Water Commission: Wholesale Lake Michigan water supplier serving northwest suburban Chicago communities. Closely comparable business model: intergovernmental agency purchasing from Chicago and wholesaling to member municipalities under long-term supply agreements.

Regional players

• Great Lakes Water Authority: Regional wholesale water and wastewater authority serving southeastern Michigan (Detroit area) drawing from Lake Huron/Lake Erie. Structurally analogous wholesale model supplying member communities, though a different Great Lake and state.
• American Lake Water Company / Indiana American Water: Lake Michigan-sourced wholesale and retail water utility operating across northern Indiana. Comparable Lake Michigan source water, conventional treatment, and municipal/industrial customer mix, but in a different state.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CLCJAWA
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCyUY-gjHVqOc0Gbi_6C7Q7Q
• Instagraminstagram.com/clcjawa/?hl=en

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Central Lake County Joint Action Water Agency