Question 1

8/30/19 - If you remain impacted by the advisory, please know you’ll still be receiving your regularly scheduled bottled water delivery on Labor Day, Monday, September 2."

Accepted Answer

While we continue working with national experts and regulators to implement a long-term solution, you should know our sampling results suggest we’re making progress: Our data show lead levels have declined across several weeks, which suggests the treatment is working – but, it takes time. We will continue providing information and resources while the treatment takes full effect.   We also want to provide a billing update. We understand the inconvenience this situation has caused and, same as in June and July, for the month of August, we will not charge customers who remain impacted for water service. Water service includes water entering the home for drinking, home lawn and garden care, laundry, cleaning, showering and bathing. Sewer service has not been impacted and we will resume sewer charges this month. If you remain under the advisory, the only charges assessed for August will be for sewer services. It is important to note that running water to flush your pipes will not cause your sewer bill to be higher. That is because our sewer rate calculation, as authorized by the Illinois Commerce Commission, is based on each customer’s individual average winter usage and will not be affected by increased usage during the summer.   As a reminder, you can consume your tap water while under the advisory if you take the proper protective steps, which include running cold tap water for two to three minutes and then filtering cold tap water through faucet filters or pitcher filters certified by the NSF to remove lead.   If you haven’t already, we recommend impacted customers watch our video tutorial outlining these steps:   https://vimeo.com/356189613/b0478af3d1   If we have directly notified you that you have been lifted from the advisory, you can use your tap water normally.   If you have questions, please call our customer service center at 877.987.2782. As always, we appreciate your continued patience and remain committed to resolving this issue as soon as possible.   Enjoy your holiday weekend.

Question 2

8/28/19 - If you are a customer in the University Park water system, in a few days, you should receive documents in the mail that the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency requires we send to all customers in the University Park water system to share information about the ongoing situation."

Accepted Answer

You can also find these documents on WaterFactsIL.com. These documents will notify you that:   Based on tap water samples, lead levels in certain homes in University Park exceed the lead action level set by regulation, and a sampling protocol from 2018 included several homes that did not meet the regulatory required sampling criteria and Aqua notified the IEPA of this situation. 
Please read these documents and know that we are already working to resolve these issues. 
As a reminder, if we have notified you that your home has been lifted from the advisory, you can continue using your tap water normally for consumption and non-consumption uses.  
If you remain under the advisory, you can consume your tap water if you take the following protective steps:    Run your cold tap water for 2-3 minutes when water has sat stagnant in internal plumbing, and Filter cold tap water through faucet and pitcher filters that are certified by the NSF to remove lead before consuming tap water. 
If you have questions after reading the materials you receive in the mail, please call our customer service center at 877.987.2782. A representative will connect you with a subject-matter expert. 
As always, you can find the most up-to-date information on our website at WaterFactsIL.com and visit the information center located at 90 Towncenter Drive in University Park for resources and information. 
We appreciate your patience as we continue working with nationally recognized experts, under regulatory guidance, to fully resolve this situation for our customers.  
Thank you.

Question 3

8/20/19 - We are continuing to work with nationally recognized water chemistry experts, under regulatory guidance, to fully resolve the water issue for all customers in University Park."

Accepted Answer

While we give the treatment the time it needs to take effect, we want to remind you how you can use your tap water at home. ​ If we have directly notified you that you have been lifted from the advisory, you can use your tap water as normal.​   For step-by-step instructions on protective steps to take before you consume your tap water if you remain under the advisory, we encourage you to view our instructional video below. ​ https://vimeo.com/356189613/b0478af3d1 ​ ​It is also available on our Water Facts Illinois Facebook page.   This video is part of our ongoing public education to ensure you have the information necessary to feel comfortable consuming your tap after you have taken the proper protective steps.   As a reminder, if you remain under the advisory, you can consume your tap water if you take the following protective steps:
 Run your cold tap water for 2-3 minutes when water has sat stagnant in internal plumbing, and
 Filter cold tap water through faucet and pitcher filters that are certified by the NSF to remove lead before consuming tap water.   Do not run hot tap water through these water filters. After filtering the cold tap water, you can heat it up before use if you prefer (for example, on the stove or in the microwave).   Remember, you can use unfiltered tap water (hot or cold) for non-consumption daily uses, such as bathing, washing hands, washing dishes and doing laundry. Regular use helps keep fresh water flowing through your pipes, while also helping the treatment process take effect in your home.   We’ll continue to share the latest information as we work to resolve this situation. If you have questions, please call our customer service center at 877.987.2782 or visit WaterFactsIL.com for the most recent news and updates.   We appreciate your continued patience. ​

Question 4

8/9/19 - The Aqua Illinois team remains committed to keeping you informed.

Accepted Answer

We want to remind you that if you remain under the advisory, you can consume your tap water if you take the following protective steps: ​ Run your cold tap water for 2-3 minutes when water has sat stagnant in internal plumbing, AND   Filter cold tap water through faucet and pitcher filters that are certified by the NSF to remove lead before consuming tap water.   After filtering the cold tap water, you can heat it up before consumption if you prefer (for example, on the stove or in the microwave). As a reminder, you can use unfiltered tap water (hot or cold) for non-consumption daily uses, such as bathing, washing your hands, washing dishes or doing laundry. ​ Also, effective tomorrow, the Information Center will be open Saturdays from noon to 4 p.m., and Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.   We share the community’s interest in understanding what we need to do to fix this situation and we believe science and the work of our water experts, with regulator guidance, is the pathway to get there. We will continue to provide updated information to our customers in real time and in a way that allows our customers to ask questions and interact directly with our experts and company representatives.    As always, if you have questions, please do not hesitate to call our customer service center at 877.987.2782 or visit WaterFactsIL.com for the latest information. ​ We appreciate your continued patience.

Question 5

8/2/19 - We want to thank you if you came out to our Open House last night.

Accepted Answer

We’re grateful we had the opportunity to share important information and updates and, most importantly, to hear from you. To those of you who filled out comment cards, we appreciate your comments and questions, and will be reaching out soon in response. If you did not get the chance to complete a comment card and would like to, you can still submit your comments or questions electronically at WaterFactsIL.com under “Resources and Feedback.”   If you were unable to attend last night’s public meeting, or if you would like more time to view the informational materials, you can view them by clicking here.    As a quick recap, Aqua Illinois President Craig Blanchette, water treatment and public health experts confirmed that if you remain under the advisory, you can consume your tap water if you take the following protective steps:   Run your tap for 2-3 minutes when water has sat stagnant in internal plumbing, AND Continue using your faucet and pitcher filters that are certified by the NSF to remove lead before consuming tap water.   You can also continue to use your unfiltered tap water for bathing, washing your hands, washing your dishes and doing laundry, along with other daily non-consumption uses.   If we have directly notified you that you have been lifted from the advisory, you do not need to run your tap or use a filter before consuming your tap water, and you can use your tap water as normal.   We will continue working with national experts, regulators and local officials to fully resolve this issue – and although that may take several more months, we will continue working with the community to minimize the negative impact as much as possible.   For more information, please continue to visit WaterFactsIL.com or call 877.987.2782.   Thank you.

August 2019 community updates

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