Springfield lawmakers tackle exorbitant water bills from Illinois American Water
Lawmakers in Springfield are looking to address the high water bills being reported in some suburbs from customers of Illinois American Water.
There are customers in Illinois paying $75 before they even use a drop of water. Now new legislation targets those extra charges.
"The attorney general needs to get involved. The utility board needs to get involved. I just think they're not doing enough," said Lisle resident Dave Seastrom.
Families in Lisle and other areas have been tracking increases to their private Illinois American Water bills, squeezing budgets that are already tight in this economy. Now their calls for help are being answered in Springfield.
"Privatization laws in the state have allowed Illinois American Water to plunder its customers and we need to change that," said Jim Chilsen of Citizens Utility Board.
State Senator Murphy is sponsoring Senate Bill 75, which would reform the way private water utilities are regulated thus protecting customers from high surcharge costs.
"Our goal is to help reduce water costs for consumers," said State Sen. Laura Murphy (28th District). "This is clearly a systemic problem. And it needs to be fixed for everybody not just bills I produce where people have really high bills."
"They've put their customers through runaway bill increases through the last decade. This bill would attempt to address that," Chilsen added.
They're working to educate the public and garner support right now, something that will continue with a goal of getting this bill passed in the next legislative session ending in May.
A spokesperson for Illinois American Water responded in a statement, saying in part, "Ultimately, capping infrastructure investment would limit the ability to properly address infrastructure needs while harming Illinois communities by impacting water quality and putting our environment at greater risk."
"I don't think it's going to have any impact on their ability to continue to provide the same quality of water and rehabilitation and replacement of lead pipes and the things that they do," said State Sen. Murphy.
Full Statement from Illinois American Water
Providing safe, clean, and reliable water and wastewater services in Illinois requires ongoing investment. There is a lot of work to be done to maintain Illinois' water infrastructure, and the Qualifying Infrastructure Plant (QIP) program supports timely, continuous and proactive repairs. The QIP is typically just $2-$3 per monthly residential bill and is primarily used to repair and replace broken and outdated water mains.
There is no denying the need for infrastructure investments. Recently, the American Society of Civil Engineers gave the State of Illinois a D+ for drinking water infrastructure and a C- for wastewater infrastructure.
Ultimately, capping infrastructure investment would limit the ability to properly address infrastructure needs while harming Illinois communities by impacting water quality and putting our environment at greater risk.