2022 OP Winter Newsletter

WATER IMPROVEMENTS

ASELF-SUPPORTING PUBLICUTILITY ELF-SUPPORTING BLICUTILITY

A major objective of any public utility system, such as Orland Park’s water and sewer utility, is to be financially self-supporting. To do so, a utility system must recover its costs, in full, through a water and sewer user fee system. Water and sewer user charges are intended to recover costs associated with operations, maintenance, equipment replacement and capital construction. system must establish a water and sewer user charge consistent with the policies and regulations of various county, state and federal regulatory agencies. These agencies, which have review authority over Orland Park’s water and sewer utility, include the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the As a public utility, Orland Park’s water and sewer

Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, and the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago. Since the source of the Village’s Lake Michigan water is purchased from the City of Chicago, and redistributed through the Regional Water System, water and sewer user charges must reflect these pass-through costs, which increase annually. Similarly, Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago costs to treat the discharges from the public sanitary sewer system must reflect these pass- through costs, which also increase annually. While great strides have been taken to improve the water and sewer infrastructure, additional work is necessary to

ensure the reliability and sustainability of our community’s equipment and facilities. In addition to the aforementioned items, additional capital improvements are needed at the water and sewer facilities to maintain their integrity and security. In order to continue to ensure the appropriate investment in the water and sewer utility, user charges are reviewed periodically. The revenue from water and sewer user charges is used exclusively to pay for the cost of operating and maintaining the Village’s Water and Sewer Utility. The following water and sewer user charges went into effect on January 1, 2023:

WAT ER RAT E ( P ER 1 , 000 GAL LONS , B I L L ED B I -MONTHLY ) * $11.94 (increase of $0.51) $7.57 (increase of $0.33) $9.46 (increase of $0.41) $11.36 (increase of $0.49) $13.25 (increase of $0.57) * Customers outside of the Village’s boundaries and in the Orland Ridge subdivision pay higher rates. Water Service Charge: 0 to 7,000 gallons 7,000 to 12,000 gallons 12,000 to 22,000 gallons 22,000 gallons and over

S EWER RAT E :

Volume charge per 1,000 Bimonthly cap

$1.34 (increase of $0.06) $43.94 (increase of $1.89)

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| Winter 2022