Eagle residents could be seeing a steady increase in their water bill over the next few years. That is if SUEZ Water's application to acquire Eagle Water Company is approved.
“The Eagle Water Company has been seeking someone to buy them for several years, they approached us, or a third party approached us in May, and we were very excited about the prospect of it," said SUEZ Communications Manager, Jane Kreller.
It’s an acquisition SUEZ believes would be a great fit for the companies, with SUEZ currently serving 240,000 Boise residents, and bordering the Eagle Water Company service area on three sides.
SUEZ filed the application to acquire eagle water company's assets in November, which would add 12,000 customers to SUEZ’s coverage. They would also plan on adding upgrades to the water system for those additional customers.
"We're going to have system-wide disinfection, which they don't have now, and that is a public service," said Kreller.
As well as 24-hour customer service, and 24-hour monitoring. But upgrades generally don't come without a price.
"Eagle water customers have been very blessed. They haven't had a water bill increase in a couple of decades," said Kreller.
Residential Eagle water customers would see an average monthly rate increase of $6 in 2019, an additional $9 in 2020, and another $9 in 2021. Whereas commercial Eagle water customers would see an average monthly rate increase of $40 a month each year over the next three years.
"Idaho is one of the lowest utility rates in the country, and that's with SUEZ rates. So even coming up to our rates, they're still going to be some of the lowest rates in the country," said Kreller.
SUEZ said the review and approval of this application could take anywhere from three to eight months, so in the meantime, the Public Utilities Commission is welcoming comments and concerns from Eagle water customers. You can voice your concerns, here.
