Citizens Utility Board fights proposed rate hike by Aqua Illinois

ILLINOIS (WCIA) — Regulatory judges and the Citizens Utility Board (CUB) are fighting for a lower rate hike for Illinois Aqua, as the water company tries to raise its rates.

Aqua serves about 273,000 customers in Central and Northern Illinois, and in January, they filed a rate hike request with the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC). The proposed hike would have raised rates by $19.2 million, or an increase of $30 per month to the average household water bill.

Sarah Moskowitz, the Director of CUB, said she had never seen a rate hike that high in her 24 years with the company.

State regulatory judges recommended a lower rate hike of $10.9 million, but the CUB is still dissatisfied with that proposal.

“This is a step in the right direction for long-suffering Aqua customers, but we believe the evidence submitted by consumer advocates calls for an even greater reduction for customers who have for years faced high bills and poor water quality,” Moskowitz said. “We urge state regulators to go further in slashing this unjust and unreasonable rate hike.”

The CUB noted that customers criticized Aqua over the summer for high rates and poor water quality, with several instances of service problems and quality concerns.

The ICC is set to make a final ruling on Aqua’s request no later than Nov. 21, when they could either follow the judge’s recommendation or make key changes.

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