1.0Citizens Utility Boardhttps://www.citizensutilityboard.orgrich600338<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="83leuf1a2I"><a href="https://www.citizensutilityboard.org/water-privatization-in-illinois/">Tracking Illinois’ Water Privatization</a></blockquote><iframe sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" src="https://www.citizensutilityboard.org/water-privatization-in-illinois/embed/#?secret=83leuf1a2I" width="600" height="338" title="“Tracking Illinois’ Water Privatization” — Citizens Utility Board" data-secret="83leuf1a2I" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" class="wp-embedded-content"></iframe><script type="text/javascript"> /* <![CDATA[ */ /*! This file is auto-generated */ !function(d,l){"use strict";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&"undefined"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!/[^a-zA-Z0-9]/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),c=new RegExp("^https?:$","i"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display="none";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute("style"),"height"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):"link"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute("src")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener("message",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll("iframe.wp-embedded-content"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute("data-secret"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+="#?secret="+t,e.setAttribute("data-secret",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:"ready",secret:t},"*")},!1)))}(window,document); /* ]]> */ </script> [vc_row full_width=”stretch_row” parallax=”content-moving” css=”.vc_custom_1633452855370{padding-top: 75px !important;padding-bottom: 75px !important;background: #5e5e5e url(https://www.citizensutilityboard.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/faucet-running-water-shutterstock_153406115-e1588099004967.jpg?id=25240);background-position:center;background-repeat:-repeat !important;background-size: cover !important;}”][vc_column][vc_column_text]  Big Profits, Big Bills:   Tracking Illinois’ Water Privatization  [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Over the past several years, private water utilities Illinois American Water and Aqua Illinois have been busy buying up depreciated water and wastewater systems across the state. These for-profit companies have purchased 61 systems since 2013, when state legislators passed a law that allows these water utilities to pass acquisition costs—$411.5 million and counting—onto their customers. “The amount we pay for water and sewer services is unreasonable,” one person complained to the Illinois Commerce Commission. “I feel we are being held hostage by Illinois American Water Company.” Ratepayers may be unsatisfied with the new private owners of their systems, but as of now, the law leaves them without a voice in determining if or when their water system is privatized. With this site, we hope to give you information about water privatization in Illinois and what you can do about it.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_tta_tabs color=”sky” active_section=”1″][vc_tta_section title=”Which Systems Are They Acquiring?” tab_id=”1588694048509-3830d739-5c22″][vc_column_text]Explore this graphic to navigate through the approved and pending Illinois American and Aqua Illinois system acquisitions across Illinois since 2013—when Illinois lawmakers passed the Illinois Water Systems Viability Act. Hover over the pins to learn more. Sales approved: 61 Purchase Costs Paid by Consumers: $411.5 million [/vc_column_text][vc_raw_html]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[/vc_raw_html][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Why Are Communities Selling Their Systems?” tab_id=”1588710780743-db3f6898-d044″][vc_column_text]When faced with the decision to privatize, small municipalities are often stuck navigating the city’s short-term financial solvency, their constituents’ utility bills and the community’s health and safety. Sell, and the community gets an influx of extra revenue from the sale, but ratepayers often end up with higher bills. According to data released in a 2017 Chicago Tribune expose, Illinois American and Aqua Illinois were slapping Chicagoland customers with rates 20 to 70 percent higher than the rates of publicly-managed water systems using the same Lake Michigan water. Although keeping a system municipally-owned does not mean there will never be a rate increase, public water is cheaper in the long run, especially when private profit is involved. But if local governments want to keep the system public, the municipality (read, ratepayers) has to fork out money to pay for expensive system upgrades and maintenance on a depreciating water system. According to a 2017 report from the American Society of Civil Engineers, most of the water pipes across the US were installed in the early- to mid-20th century, and their time is almost up; the pipes were projected to last about 75 to 100 years. Cue Illinois American and Aqua Illinois: Private takeover of water systems has become a popular option for municipalities staring down a list of necessary and expensive system upgrades. These companies take on all responsibility for keeping the systems in line with federal and state mandates after the sale. For example, Alton, a Metro East city of about 30,000, sold its wastewater system to Illinois American after the Environmental Protection Agency mandated an expensive undertaking—sewer and storm drain separation—to be completed in the next 6 years. But don’t be fooled. These companies may take responsibility for your system’s upkeep (they love touting their strict “regulatory compliance”), but they don’t […]https://www.citizensutilityboard.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/CUB_IL_LogoBadgeRGBAdminLogo.png254254