Illinois American Water: Investing in Public Health & Safety
By Justin Ladner, President, Illinois American Water

[February 18, 2020]   At Illinois American Water, our team knows the critical role we play in our customers’ daily lives. We’re a key ingredient in your cup of coffee and we support firefighters with the water they need for public safety, while also providing reliable sanitary service for public health. We keep life flowing.

This is why we continuously invest in the local water and/or wastewater infrastructure. In 2018 and 2019, Illinois American Water invested over $250 million to install over 70 miles of water and sewer mains. Water and wastewater treatment processes, equipment, security and technology were upgraded to provide safe drinking water and reliable sanitary service. In addition, hundreds of fire hydrants and water meters were installed or replaced.

The need to invest in this critical infrastructure isn’t unique to Illinois American Water. Communities across the country are facing significant and complex system upgrades which can no longer be delayed without risk to public health and safety. Funding these investments can be a challenge, especially in smaller communities where project costs for necessary infrastructure will dramatically increase rates. In addition to funding, many communities find it difficult to attract industry experts from the ever-shrinking pool of Class A water operators.

At Illinois American Water, over 70 Class A water operators monitor our operations around the clock. Thousands of water quality tests are conducted daily throughout the treatment process. Nationally, a team of PhDs are continuously researching and testing treatment methods for emerging contaminants. In the field, our skilled workforce maintains over 4,500 miles of water main located under streets, bridges and railways. This work, coupled with our proactive investment, ensures every drop of the 115 million gallons of water we deliver a day is safe.

It doesn’t matter where you live, every drop counts. This is why we are partnering with community leaders across the state to assume ownership and operation of their water and/or wastewater systems. Over the last two years, we’ve expanded services to an additional 35,000 customers.

Some of the communities we now serve were facing EPA consent decrees or water quality issues. Others simply had other priorities and wanted to turn over operations to the experts. In some cases, the communities were facing pension or other fiscal challenges. Every community is unique and we’re proud to partner with them.

We know at the end of every water pipe people are depending on us to provide life’s most critical need and every treatment plant serves as a barrier against potential disease. Providing safe, reliable water and/or wastewater service to our friends and family, to the manufacturing facilities making the products we use and to the water parks our children play isn’t just our responsibility, it’s our calling.

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 7,100 dedicated professionals who provide regulated and market-based drinking water, wastewater and other related services to more than 14 million people in 46 states. 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 w ww.amwater.com