Sorensen Secures Nearly $1 Million for Clean Drinking Water in Lanark

LANARK, IL – Congressman Eric Sorensen (IL-17) joined community leaders in Lanark to highlight $959,752 he secured from Congress to repair the city’s water infrastructure. Sorensen secured this investment to fix the city’s water mains that are experiencing a high number of breaks and incidents of low pressure. 

“I have had many conversations with parents who are nervous about turning on their faucet, filling up a glass of water, and giving it to their kids,” said Sorensen. “That is why I have made replacing lead pipes, investing in our water mains and sewers, and upgrading our water infrastructure a top priority. This funding from Congress will positively impact my neighbors here in Carroll County as we work together to upgrade Lanark’s deteriorating water distribution system and deliver clean water to working families.”   

“It’s a very exciting day here for the City of Lanark. We are ecstatic that Congressman Sorensen is here today,” Mayor Mark Macomber, City of Lanark, said during his remarks. 

“It was over a year ago, the phone rang. I didn’t know the number and it didn’t say ‘spam’, so I answered it. And he said ‘Mayor Viglietta?’ and I said ‘yes’. He says, ‘This is Congressman Eric Sorensen, good morning’,” former Mayor Kenneth Viglietta, City of Lanark, said during his remarks. “From that point on, he never used the word ‘I’. It was always ‘we’. ‘We want you to know what we’re going to do for Lanark and the families of Lanark.’” 

“I never heard of Lanark getting a million dollars,” Viglietta continued. 

Sorensen joined Mayor Mark Macomber and former Mayor Kenneth Viglietta outside the Lanark Maintenance Facility to highlight nearly $1 million Sorensen secured to deliver safe and clean water to Lanark families. 

The investment comes as part of the Community Project Funding process, which allows members of Congress to secure funds in government spending legislation for critical initiatives in their communities. 

Sorensen worked to secure the investment for Lanark in the FY2024 Interior and Environment appropriations bill signed into law by the president on March 9, 2024. 

Congressman Eric Sorensen serves on the House Committee on Agriculture and the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. Prior to serving in Congress, Sorensen was a local meteorologist in Rockford and the Quad Cities for nearly 20 years. His district includes Illinois’ Quad Cities, Rockford, Peoria, and Bloomington-Normal. 

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