Aqua New Water Rate Lower Than Requested

Residents of several northern Illinois communities including the Kankakee area will be paying more for water services next year. Capitol News Illinois reports Aqua Illinois will increase its rates following approval from the Illinois Commerce Commission. Aqua, the second largest private water utility in Illinois, has not released an estimate of the exact bill impact, but their original rate hike request would have raised residential bills by 30-dollars per month on average.  The I-C-C slashed that request by 43-percent on Thursday while also approving a low-income discount. The company will be required to propose a broader discount program for low-income customers by 2027.