Illinois American Water Acquires Village of Leonore Water System

STREATOR, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Illinois American Water President Justin Ladner today announced the Company’s acquisition of the Village of Leonore water system. The purchase adds approximately 68 water customers to the Streator District service area.

The Village of Leonore voted in favor of the sale November 2018. The Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) approved the sale for $100,000. The sale was completed today.

“We have a long history – over 145 years – of providing quality water service in Illinois. We are proud of our track record and look forward to serving our new customers in Leonore,” said Ladner.

Village President Mike Zimmerman said the sale of the water system to Illinois American Water will, “allow the Village to focus on other community needs.” He went on to say, “Not only will residents have better quality water service from a company that has served this region well for many years, but the Village will be able to focus on other priorities.”

Illinois American Water is committed to upgrading the Leonore water system, beginning with the replacement of water meters. Customers received a communication about this work, which is expected to begin in May.

Jon Mase, operations superintendent for Illinois American Water’s Streator District, said, “We are excited to serve Leonore. We are familiar with the community and have had the opportunity to partner with the local fire department. We look forward to continuing our involvement and being a good neighbor.”

New customers will receive an Illinois American Water welcome packet in the mail. This packet includes information about online account management, billing and more. The Village of Leonore will be incorporated into the company’s Streator District which serves Streator, Dana, Longpoint, Ancona, Reading and Ransom.

The appraisal process used for the Leonore water system was conducted under the supervision of the ICC and established as part of the Illinois Water Systems Viability Act. This law gives communities an alternative to value their water and/or wastewater system when considering being acquired by an investor-owned water utility.

To learn more about Illinois American Water and hear testimonials from communities the company has partnered, please visit the Doing Business with Us page under About Us at www.illinoisamwater.com.

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 6,800 dedicated professionals who provide regulated and market-based drinking water, wastewater and other related services to 15 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 amwater.com and follow American Water on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.