Justin Ladner
President, Illinois American Water
300 N. Water Works Drive
Belleville, IL 62223
P 618.239.2207
www.amwater.com
March 16, 2020
TO: Chairman and Commissioners
• Carrie Zalewski, Chairman
• Sadzi Martha Oliva, Commissioner
• D. Ethan Kimbrel, Commissioner
• Maria S. Bocanegra, Commissioner
Michael T. Carrigan, Commissioner
At Illinois American Water, the health and safety of our customers, communities and employees is our top priority. We provide an essential service that is critically important and much like many other companies in the U.S. and across the globe, Illinois American Water has established coronavirus preparedness plans.
To minimize the risk of exposure to the coronavirus (COVID-19), we have initiated our business continuity plans to help provide additional stability to our operations that include water/wastewater services to your homes and businesses.
American Water continues to monitor situational updates provided by the Center for Disease Control, World Health Organization and Johns Hopkins University as well as other state and federal organizations. We are continuously evaluating the situation and latest developments to determine how we can adopt and amend measures, as necessary, to support our customers and communities we serve and our employees.
It is important for you to know that Illinois American Water’s drinking water treatment barriers provide protection that includes filtration and disinfection of our surface water supplies (e.g., those from lakes, reservoirs, or rivers) and disinfection of our ground water sources (e.g., underground wells). These treatments are effective in removing and/or inactivating viruses. Our water meets all current federal and state drinking water requirements.
For additional information about the coronavirus and drinking water and wastewater please visit:
• Environmental Protection Agency - Americans can continue to use and drink water from their tap as usual
• World Health Organization - Water treatment practices effective against COVID-19, WHO says
In an effort to keep our customers safe during the coronavirus pandemic, American Water will be placing a moratorium and discontinuing service shut offs at this time. We will continue to evaluate this moratorium as more information becomes available. Additionally, Illinois American Water will begin the restoration of service to previously shut-off customers. The restoration may take some time, but we will work as
quickly and safely as possible. If a customer has had their service turned off, prior to March 12, 2020, we will restart their service.
In addition to suspending shut-offs and the restoration of previously shut-off customers, we are suspending late fees until further notice. We are also working with customers who are experiencing hardships including offering financial assistance and payment programs. We will evaluate the continued need.
Additionally, due to supply chain challenges, we may have difficulty securing bottled water in the event of an outage. We are working with our national vendors to try and address this circumstance but wanted to ensure our commissions were aware of this potential risk. We will keep you informed as this situation evolves.
Illinois American Water has been focused on two high priorities as the spread of the coronavirus as evolved - the health and safety of our employees and the health and safety of our customers. As such, American Water will also be suspending all non-essential field appointments and will limit the amount and nature of contact with customers during all emergency field appointments.
We will continue to communicate with you if and when there is new information. As always, thank you for your trust in American Water as we continue to provide you with safe, clean, reliable water and wastewater services.
Sincerely,
Justin Ladner
President, Illinois American Water