Village Urges Quinn to Sign Water Agency Legislation

The five communities looking to create their own water company to takeover an Illinois American Water pipeline are all urging Gov. Pat Quinn to sign .

The village boards of Bolingbrook and Lemont passed resolutions last week in support of Senate Bill 83, and Romeoville and Woodridge have just voiced support. 

Senate Bill 83 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.

The organization would be called the Northern Will County Joint Action Water Agency.

State lawmakers passed the measure May 30. Quinn has 60 days from that date to sign the bill into law.

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.

Buying the pipeline would afford Bolingbrook residents a cheaper water bill, Bolingbrook Mayor Roger 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.

Lemont's village board passed its resolution in support of the bill last Monday; Bolingbrook's board did the same Tuesday. 

The Woodridge village board did not meet last week, although the board regularly meets on the second and fourth Thursdays of the month. 

Jack Knight, management analyst for the village of Woodridge, wrote in an email that the village supports the bill and hopes Quinn signs it. 

But "Woodridge’s role has been limited and as a member of the JAWA we have allowed Bolingbrook to take the lead on these matters...," Knight wrote. 

Although Romeoville has signed on to be part of the agency, its creation would have little impact on the village’s water supply, at least initially. The majority of Romeoville, including the entire residential population, gets its water from the village itself.

According to Romeoville Mayor John Noak, only 24 connections, all industrial, are on the Illinois American line. Romeoville became involved with the push to create the water agency because an earlier version of Senate Bill 83 required every community along the pipeline to be on board.