Illinois American Water Acquires Village of Fisher Water and Wastewater Systems
March 28 2018 - 2:35PM
Business Wire
Acquisition adds about 850 water and
wastewater customers in Champaign County service area
Illinois American Water President Bruce Hauk today announced the
Company’s acquisition of the Village of Fisher’s water and
wastewater systems. The purchase of the system adds approximately
850 new water and wastewater customers to the Company’s customer
base in the Champaign County District and serves a population of
nearly 2,000 residents.
The Village of Fisher Board voted in favor of the sale in July
2017. The Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) approved the sale for
$6.8 million on March 7, 2018.
“We look forward to investing in the Village of Fisher and
ensuring quality water and reliable wastewater service to our new
customers,” said Hauk.
Village of Fisher Mayor Michael Bayler also supports the
acquisition. He said, “We are looking forward to Illinois American
Water joining our community and helping us meet our water and
wastewater needs. Their knowledge and ability to provide reliable
service to our residents is an investment in our public health and
economic future.”
Illinois American Water will invest $2.9 million in the first
five years of ownership including security upgrades, meter
replacements, wastewater plant improvements for regulatory
compliance, and inflow and infiltration upgrades.
According to Dave Farrar, sr. manager of field operations and
production for Illinois American Water’s Champaign County District,
the company will also repair and paint the Fisher water tower.
Farrar, a resident of Fisher, said, “We are committed to keeping
the Fisher water tower painted orange to show community pride for
residents and visitors of Fisher. The improvements planned will
also enhance service, public health and fire protection to
Fisher.”
New customers will soon receive an Illinois American Water
welcome packet in the mail. This packet includes information about
online account management, billing, payment options and more. A
payment drop box will be placed at the Fisher water treatment plant
located at 110 West Front Street in Fisher. Payments will be picked
up regularly.
The appraisal process used for the Fisher water and wastewater
systems was conducted under the supervision of the ICC and
established as part of the Illinois Water Systems Viability Act.
According to Hauk, this law gives communities an alternative to
value their water and/or wastewater system when considering being
acquired by an investor-owned water utility. He said, “Previous law
only allowed the investor-owned water or sewer utility to pay the
original cost minus depreciation to acquire a small system, public
or private. Because of this, systems were deprived of receiving
adequate value for their system.”
The Village of Fisher will be incorporated into Illinois
American Water’s Champaign County District, which currently serves
residents in Champaign, Urbana, Sadorus, Savoy, St. Joseph,
Bondville and Pesotum.
About Illinois American Water - Illinois American Water,
a subsidiary of American Water (NYSE: AWK), is the largest
investor-owned water utility in the state, providing high-quality
and reliable water and/or wastewater services to approximately 1.3
million people. American Water also operates a customer service
center in Alton and a quality control and research laboratory in
Belleville. With a history dating back to 1886, American Water is
the largest and most geographically diverse U.S. publicly traded
water and wastewater utility company. The company employs more than
6,900 dedicated professionals who provide regulated and
market-based drinking water, wastewater and other related services
to an estimated 15 million people in 46 states and Ontario, Canada.
American Water provides safe, clean, affordable and reliable water
services to our customers to make sure we keep their lives flowing.
For more information, visit amwater.com and follow American Water
on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180328006035/en/
Illinois American WaterTerry Mackin, 618-910-7221External
Affairs Director
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