Four Illinois legislators and a Citizens Utility Board representative urged state regulators Wednesday to reject rate hikes proposed by the state’s two largest private water utilities, Illino…
Bryan McDaniel, director of governmental affairs for the Citizens Utility Board, discusses proposed rate hikes by private water providers Aqua Illinois and Illinois American Water, potentially increasing water bills by $30 a month. Rep. Nabeela Syed, left,, Sen. Rachel Ventura, Rep. Dagmara Avelar and Sen.
In 2000, private water utilities got state approval to add a “qualifying infrastructure plant” surcharge to bills, which McDaniel says has dramatically increased water costs for consumers. McDaniel said he and the legislators advocate for legislation that curbs the rapid rate increases and require a referendum to ensure fair cost sharing.In January, Aqua, which serves about 273,000 Illinois consumers, filed for a $19.2 million rate hike request. In February, Illinois American Water, which service about 1.3 million consumers, followed suit and requested $152.4 million.
Aqua Illinois President Dave Carter said in a statement that the utility has bought and upgraded older water systems across Illinois for the last six years and a half years, which he says has been a costly but necessary endeavor to improve water systems. After service disruptions were resolved, Syed said Palatine consumers received a $100 gift card for the inconvenience, which she says is not enough. Syed said she wants the Illinois Commerce Commission, which is in charge of approving or denying the rate increases, to evaluate how the water provider operates.
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