Water district to invest approximately $1.5 million for Lincoln pumping station

[June 24, 2011]  Illinois American Water's Lincoln District will begin construction of a new pumping station at the South Water Treatment Plant, located at the end of the 1500 block of South State Street. This investment of approximately $1.5 million will ensure reliability and enhance water quality to customers.

The pumping station will use energy-saving technology through the installation of variable-frequency drive motors.

According to David Schonauer, operations superintendent for the district, "VFD motors ensure that we are operating the motors based on current pumping demands. This will enable us to save on energy use and cost, benefiting our operations and customers."

The completion of the new pumping station will require the removal of the remaining portion of the old power plant, which was built in 1898 and housed the original

Lincoln Water, Light and Power Co. water pumping room.

Additional investments made over the last few years at this site include three new filters and valves for enhanced water quality, as well as the installation of a generator for ensured reliability.

"Illinois American Water continues to invest annually in its systems to ensure that local water quality and service continues to be as good as or better than local, state and federal quality standards," Schonauer said.

The U.S. EPA reports that the nation's water utilities will need to make more than $335 billion in infrastructure investments over the next 20 years to ensure public health. These investments include replacing thousands of miles of pipe and upgrades to treatment plants, storage tanks and other assets.

Illinois American Water's investment in Lincoln is an example of continuous investments and improvements being made, helping to meet the demands of today's customers and planning for the future.

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Illinois American Water, a wholly owned subsidiary of American Water (NYSE: AWK), is the largest investor-owned water utility in the state, providing high-quality and reliable water or wastewater services to more than 1.2 million people. American Water also operates a customer service center in Alton and a quality control and research laboratory in Belleville.

[Text from file received from Illinois American Water]