Rep. McAsey Calls Public Water Agency a Good Thing

In Bolingbrook for a small town hall meeting, State Rep. Emily McAsey, D-Lockport, said the village's attempt to create its own water company would be a good thing for area residents.

McAsey said she has met with—and will continue to talk to—Gov. Pat Quinn's staff regarding Senate Bill 83, which currently sits on Quinn's desk awaiting signature.

The bill will allow Bolingbrook, Home Glen, Lemont, Romeoville and Woodridge to take on Illinois American Water and likely use eminent domain to try and overtake an IAW pipeline that carries Lake Michigan water from Bedford Park to the west suburbs.

State lawmakers passed the measure May 30. Last year Illinois American Water received approval for a $41 million rate increase from the Illinois Commerce Commission and permission to raise rates by up to 5 percent annually without ICC approval, a Chicago Tribune report said.

McAsey, who co-sponsored the bill in the House, said she was shocked to hear of residents' stories of paying $100 or more each month for water.

"One story that particularly touched me was this couple of senior citizens that are living in northeast Bolingbrook and they were telling me the amount of their water bill—$100 or more per month—and the conservation measures that they were taking every day in terms of not showering or not flushing the toilet," McAsey said.

"So, with that as the backdrop, we worked really hard to push forward this legislation."

McAsey said a timetable for Quinn signing the measure was still not known. Bolingbrook Mayor Roger Claar said he and other mayors from the participating communities would head to Springfield to lobby Quinn's staff for the governor sign the bill as soon as possible.

Once Quinn signs the bill, the public agency would be able to meet, although the meetings likely would be off-limits to the public since the agenda would almost exclusively deal with strategy on how to take over the pipeline, said Bolingbrook attorney Jim Boan.

Buying the pipeline would afford Bolingbrook residents a cheaper water bill, Claar said.

And if the new agency can’t purchase the pipeline, they’ll likely look to acquire it through eminent domain.

“This [bill] allows us to create a water agency, and if the agency chooses to do so, we will seek to purchase the Illinois American Water pipeline,” Claar said. “The alternative to that, if we choose to do so, is to seek it through eminent domain. But that decision must be made after the agency is formed.”

Tim Leahy, Illinois American Water's director of government affairs, said the bill won’t lower residents’ bill because less than 10 percent of the average customer’s bill would be affected by a takeover.

“Many local governments subsidize the cost of providing water so their rates do not reflect the true cost of providing those services,” Leahy said.