Village Officials Urge Governor to Sign Water Agency Legislation

In a show of solidarity, the communities looking to create their own water company in order to takeover an Illinois American Water pipeline are urging Gov. Pat Quinn to sign .

Lemont did its part Monday night as the village board unanimously voted to adopt a resolution that supports Senate Bill 83, which will allow Romeoville, Lemont, Bolingbrook, Homer Glen, 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. 

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 Mayor John Noak, only 24 connections, all industrial, are on the Illinois American line. The village 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.

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.

Bolingbrook also passed a resolution in support of the bill during its board meeting Tuesday night.

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.

Because its status as a member would give Romeoville a full vote on any decisions made by the agency, its creation could prove beneficial to the village in the future, Noak said this spring.

"It's a resource that could be an asset to the community in the future," Noak said, but he added that the village currently has no plans to connect to the pipeline.