Illinois American Water said its proposed rate increase is necessary to tackle aging infrastructure, replace lead service lines and build more resilient systems as the climate changes and communities grow.
But residents and area elected officials said the corporation should use its own profits for infrastructure improvements rather than balance a rate hike on the backs of its customers.
About 160 people, including officials representing Bolingbrook, Homer Glen and Woodridge, and individuals representing state legislators, attended an Illinois Commerce Commission hearing Wednesday night in Bolingbrook, according to fire officials’ estimates
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Residents told the ICC they shouldn’t have to choose between paying their water bills or buying groceries or medicine. Water is a necessity, and residents cannot shop around for a water utility company that offers a better deal, they said.
Homer Glen Mayor Christina Neitzke-Troike asked Illinois American Water executives why they haven’t explained their reason for a rate hike before a Village Board meeting, town hall meeting or other communications or outreach.
“I’ve never seen any of you in my village,” Neitzke-Troike said.
“Our residents tell us they are left with little to no choice to either reduce water consumption to a barebones minimum or move away from the village because of the water and sewer rates,” she said. “How could this possibly be America?”
Illinois American Water is requesting about $129 million over two years, which has been adjusted down from about $143 million when the company first submitted the proposal in January.
Company officials said an average residential water customer using 3,500 gallons per month would see an increase of about $10 per month. An average wastewater customer using 3,500 gallons per month would see an increase of about $23 per month.
The company’s new rates would support about $577 million in water and wastewater system improvements through December 2027, including replacing aging water and sewer mains, removing lead service lines and addressing emerging chemical contaminants such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS.
The ICC, which is responsible for evaluating and ruling on Illinois American Water’s rate proposal, is expected to make its decision on the proposed rate hike by Dec. 18.
This would be the fourth rate hike in a decade for Illinois American Water, the state’s largest investor-owned water and wastewater utility, said Jim Chilsen, a spokesman for the Citizens Utility Board, a watchdog organization that is fighting the proposed increase.
“Being an Illinois American Water customer is a hardship,” Chilsen said.
Illinois American Water has won $230 million in rate hikes over the last decade, including $110 million in 2024, $85 million in 2022 and $35 million in 2016, he said. The company has made more than a billion in profits in each of the last two years, Chilsen said.
Several residents noted they’ve been to previous ICC hearings in the past to protest rate hikes. Some said they feel their words fall on deaf ears.
“Why are the increases happening so frequently and so close together especially because profits continue to soar?” Bolingbrook resident April Palmer said.
Palmer said residents shouldn’t have to second guess giving their children a bath or laundering clothes.
Rosetta Spielman said she pays $280 a month for a family of three but does laundry every three weeks.
Allaina Humphreys said her bill is about $250 a month.
“We don’t have a pool. Our lawn is brown. We don’t even shower every day,” she said.
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Nancy Mizura asked why her water bill makes up 57% of all her utility bills. She said it took Illinois American Water just under six hours to respond to a water main break and four of her neighbors’ homes flooded.
Judy Bredeweg asked the Illinois American Water representatives to kindly donate $2 or $3 to the village of Bolingbrook for each time they used the bathroom at the Bolingbrook Community Center to help offset costs.
“I’m 85. I shouldn’t be here protesting these increases,” Bredeweg said. “I can no longer be nickeled and dimed. My pockets are empty.”
Woodridge’s Village Administrator Al Stonitsch said the Village Board will vote on a resolution opposing the rate hike.
Bolingbrook Mayor Mary Alexander-Basta said she has worked with state legislators on possible legislation and expressed frustrations that the ICC commissioners don’t attend the hearings to listen to residents’ emotions. The commissioners receive a transcript of the proceedings. With the average customer’s bill at about $220 a month, Alexander-Basta said the village will lead the charge against the rate hike.
“When is enough, enough?” Bolingbrook Trustee Jose Quintero asked.
Republican gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey asked for the rate hike to be denied.
“Illinois families are being asked to pay more so a private monopoly can make more,” Bailey said. “That is wrong. … Families cannot choose another water company. They cannot shop around for a better price. That means the Illinois Commerce Commission has an even greater responsibility to protect customers from excessive rates.”
Illinois American Water President Rebecca Losli said water and wastewater systems are among the most capital intensive utility systems to operate, and are twice as capital intensive as electric and three times as intensive as natural gas.
The company has invested in more than $2 billion in improvements since 2015, Losli said. This includes more than $298 million in water and wastewater infrastructure improvements in the company’s northern division, she said.
The work results in fewer main breaks, service disruptions and boil-orders leading to more reliable service, Losli said. Infrastructure improvements cannot be ignored, she said
“These systems age every day,” Losli said. “If we wait until they fail, you as customers will face more disruptions, communities will face greater costs and the environment will face greater risk.”
Losli said the company has assistance programs for residential customers with limited income, and it partners with local Salvation Army organizations to provide one-time bill assistance to eligible customers facing delinquency.
The Illinois Commerce Commission is accepting written comments from affected customers via its website, www.icc.illinois.gov, or by calling its consumer services division at 800-524-0795.
Michelle Mullins is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.