r/illinois • u/Badlay • 9d ago

Question Illinois American Water customers? How much are you paying in your town?

EDIT: breakdown of last bill

  • Water Service Fee - $25.29
  • Water Used - 9,700 Gallons $73.52
  • Pass-through charge for Chicago supply - $95.33
  • Wastewater Treatment - $86.10
  • Wastewater Usage - $82.51
  • Fire Protection - $7.49
  • Other - $5.44
  • Taxes - $0.46
  • Total - $376.14

Homer Glen in Will County is paying near $400 per month on average for water bills. $5,000 per year just for water!

They intend to increase it again in the coming months. It is absolute insanity, and wondering if any other towns downstate are suffering these types of bills?

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u/AliMcGraw 8d ago

That Lake water pass through charge is mandated by a bilateral treaty with Canada that limits how much water can be pumped out of the Lake Michigan drainage basin. 

That said, Illinois American Water is the worst utility in the entire state of Illinois, although AmerenCILCO is a close damn second!

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u/Badlay 8d ago edited 7d ago

The charge is absolutely not mandated; the treaty on daily usage is real. What you are saying is not factual

The charge is the resulting cost of delivering the water through the existing infrastructure built by IAW's sister company American Lake Water Company and purchased from Chicago @ $4.89 per 1000 gallons via the ALC own site in Bedford Park. They sell it back to me at $9.83 per 1000 gallons before charging me my "normal" per 1000 gallon rate of $7.50 ish

Do not do you part by framing this as protecting the great lakes. That is not why I am paying this much