About 17 months ago the Daily Herald reported massive overcharging by private company Illinois American Water to Lisle’s Oak View residents, as well as problems with the water supply: “Lisle-Woodridge Fire District Chief Thomas Freeman is growing tired of trying to make the utility raise the water pressure in hydrants near two Lisle schools as a matter of public safety.”
Today’s Daily Herald reports on a fire yesterday:
“An early morning fire that consumed a garage and two cars is the latest example of why a more efficient water supply is needed in Lisle’s Oak View neighborhood, Lisle-Woodridge fire officials said Thursday.
No one was injured in the blaze, which began around 12:15 a.m. in a detached two-car garage at 5319 Clover Drive.
The area is served by Illinois American Water Co., which, along with the village of Lisle, is the target of a recent lawsuit by an Oak View couple claiming the private utility failed to provide sufficient water pressure to put out an earlier fire in the neighborhood.”
Not only is the water pressure apparently insufficient, but Illinois American Water charges “287 percent higher than Lisle residents pay for village water service and 792 percent higher than for village sewer service,” according to a village study.
Naperville attorney Shawn Collins is suing Illinois American - which appears to have shoddy practices that go way beyond Lisle, IL. Attorney General Lisa Madigan has been investigating the private utility which is accused of substantial billing and quality problems in Illinois and Missouri, where it serves about 2.5 million customers that, according to a St. Louis Post-Dispatch article, include:
- Over-charging customers (for “zero” water use and as much as thousands of dollars for a single month of residential use where the use claimed was as high as 179,000 gallons versus a normal seven to eight thousand gallons).
- “[N]umerous problems with the quality and accuracy of its bills and metering.
- Improperly issued ‘make-up’ bills to hundreds of customers, did not provide truthful and accurate information about the cause of the bills, and failed to refund the makeup charges with interest as state regulations require.
….
- Issued bills that didn’t show the per-unit charge for purchased water, another violation of state regulations.”
It’s terrible. Beyond massive overcharging, Illinois American should change its practices before someone gets seriously hurt or there’s more property damage due to poor water pressure. They’ve certainly had time to get it right.
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