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Politics & Government

Village Continues to Pursue Municipal Joint Water Agency

Mayor says private water company has offered nothing but higher rates for residents.

The Village Board approved an ordinance Tuesday for an intergovernmental agreement between the villages of Bolingbrook, Homer Glen, Woodridge, Romeoville and Lemont, for the purposes of establishing a municipal joint action water agency “to provide adequate supplies of water on an economical and efficient basis for members’ municipalities.”

Mayor Roger Claar said the ordinance removes the Village of Plainfield, which had originally signed on but later opted out and adds the Village of Lemont to the agreement.

Claar said he has always favored tapping into Lake Michigan water because “no engineer could tell us there was sufficient water in the aquifers below us” to provide an adequate supply of clean water for Bolingbrook for years to come.

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But since 2002, when Bolingbrook’s water system was sold to the privately-owned Illinois American Water Company, rates have steadily increased for residents, whose complaints have often landed on the mayor’s desk.

Claar said village officials met with representatives of Illinois American Water a few weeks ago and the company “offered nothing” in the way of rate reductions.

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“We’ve been talking about this for a couple years,” Claar said. “We’ve heard nothing from them, (Illinois American Water) so we will continue to explore acquiring the system. We can eliminate the profit motive and we’ll get better service.”

By acting together through the formation of the Northern Will County Joint Action Water Agency, communities who sign on to the agreement could take action against Illinois American Water Company and use their powers of eminent domain to take over a pipeline that carries Lake Michigan water to the western suburbs.

“They are not the most friendly operator,” Claar said of Illinois American Water. “They continue to raise rates as if it’s a piggy bank they can just go to when they want.”

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