Hawthorn Woods officials formally approved a resolution and drafted a letter to the Illinois Commerce Commission objecting to a proposed rate hike by its private water utility supplier.
Kankakee-based Aqua Illinois wants an increase of approximately $30 per bill to fund infrastructure upgrades and rising operational costs.
Hawthorn Woods endured a water main break in July of 2023, leaving residents without water service for a week, and forcing bottled water distribution on a limited basis. Another main break occurred last month, although the company indicated that service was not interrupted. However, a boil-water order was put into place.
“Our Village Board unanimously passed a resolution objecting to the rate increase request, and our letter of objection was sent to the ICC board,” Hawthorn Woods Mayor Dominick DiMaggio said. “Following the July 4 water main break in 2023, the village experienced a second water main break in July, of this year.
“Service was not interrupted, but water needed to be trucked in from the Ivanhoe plant,” he said. “To address the water concerns … Aqua Illinois is constructing a second well and pumping station for water distribution volume, and to increase supply in the event of additional water main breaks or heavy water usage during the summer months.”
Previously, water samples tested positive for lead contaminants, according to an assessment report. The board’s July 22 action was followed by a public forum at the McHenry County Community College a week later. The ICC rate hike request was entered in January, as customers and advocacy groups wanted greater accountability.
In a later statement, Aqua Illinois said, “(We) have implemented numerous improvements to address the issues identified last year. These improvements have already proven to be successful during last month’s Hawthorn Woods water main break. Our crews were able to identify and fix the problem quickly.
“Maintaining a high-quality water system requires investments to improve infrastructure that has reached the end of its useable life,” the company said.”
Aqua Illinois said that since its last rate request in 2018, it has invested more than $200 million statewide for needed infrastructure improvements. The company contends its effort to recover the costs through a potential rate increase is a common practice for all regulated companies. The ICC is the state’s authority for regulatory practices.
“Aqua is committed to providing safe and reliable drinking water and environmentally reliable wastewater services to our customers in Illinois,” David Carter, Aqua’s president, said. “We will continue to make the necessary investments in water and wastewater infrastructure to ensure that we successfully meet this commitment in the most cost-effective manner.”
DiMaggio said the village is pursuing additional water sources as a permanent solution to its groundwater supply. He also said board members felt the current company-set water rate is excessive, and an increase would negatively impact families on tight budgets.
Aqua Illinois said the timetable for ICC reviewing the request will continue over the next several months. A final decision that will grant all, part, or none of the requests is expected in November. Customer billing will remain unaffected, until then.
Aqua Illinois services more than 280,000 customers across northern Illinois, including Lake, McHenry, DuPage, Kane, and 10 other counties.
