A public water system is the only way to ensure accountability for employees, consumers and our community. Please oppose the proposed sale of Rock Island’s municipal water service to a for-profit operator.

Privatizing water service hurts consumers.

In many cases private control of water systems has resulted in worse drinking water quality. For example, Pittsburgh’s water quality violations followed a chemical treatment change that occurred after the city hired a large multinational firm to provide management and consulting services to the city.

Privatizing water service hurts workers.

Private operators’ profits are directly tied to cutting jobs and reducing benefits to employees. Water privatization results in the loss of 1 in 3 jobs, according to Food and Water Watch, and will jeopardize retirement security for Rock Island workers as employees lose access to the public pension system.

Privatizing water services costs communities more.

According to one study of ten Illinois communities which sold their water systems to American Water’s Illinois subsidiary, water rates more than doubled on average over a ten-year period. This corresponds to an extra $405 on the typical annual water bill of a household using 72,000 gallons of water a year. In comparison, national surveys have found that water and sewer bills typically increase by about 5 percent a year. That means that customers of these privatized systems are seeing their water rates grow 260 percent faster than usual.

Please, oppose the privatization of Rock Island’s water system!