New Water Treatment Plant in Champaign County
Updated: February 6, 2007
American Illinois Water Company is planing to build a new water treatment plant near Mahomet. They're proposing to put it on 40 acres of land, North of Interstate 72. It says it needs the facility, to keep up with growing demand, and we'll all pay more to have it.
The Company says it's the best location in terms of how close it is to the Mahomet Aquifer, and it will have least impact on the Aquifer's water levels and levels of wells in that area. The Company says water demand is going up and is only going to grow even more with the possibilities of ethanol plants in our area.
The cost of the water treatment plant is about 51million dollars.. Although the company has not filed for a rate increase on your water bills, they say, you can expect it sometime in the future. Barry Suits, who works for the Company says, "a project like this is funded throught the rates people pay for their water and we'll talk to them what that cost will mean to them."
The Company is planning public meetings with customers in April, but this thursday, its holding a meeting with people living near the proposed site. That meeting will start at 6:30pm, at the Champaign County Farm Bureau.
Construction on the project is expected to start sometime this summer. The design team for this project is expected to be selected next month, and at that time, Water officials say they'll have a better idea of how much this project will cost, and ultimately, how much will be pushed on to customers.
The Company says it's the best location in terms of how close it is to the Mahomet Aquifer, and it will have least impact on the Aquifer's water levels and levels of wells in that area. The Company says water demand is going up and is only going to grow even more with the possibilities of ethanol plants in our area.
The cost of the water treatment plant is about 51million dollars.. Although the company has not filed for a rate increase on your water bills, they say, you can expect it sometime in the future. Barry Suits, who works for the Company says, "a project like this is funded throught the rates people pay for their water and we'll talk to them what that cost will mean to them."
The Company is planning public meetings with customers in April, but this thursday, its holding a meeting with people living near the proposed site. That meeting will start at 6:30pm, at the Champaign County Farm Bureau.
Construction on the project is expected to start sometime this summer. The design team for this project is expected to be selected next month, and at that time, Water officials say they'll have a better idea of how much this project will cost, and ultimately, how much will be pushed on to customers.
