BELLEVILLE — Illinois American Water Major Accounts Manager Benjamin Brockschmidt was presented with the Friend of Infrastructure Award by the Underground Contractors Association (UCA) last month.
UCA President Cindy Gustafson of J.A.C.K. Contractor Services, Inc. presented the award at the UCA’s Annual Business Meeting.
Prior to joining Illinois American Water, Brockschmidt worked on passing legislation to improve how the State of Illinois invests in infrastructure. With the passage and signing of a broad infrastructure package earlier this year, all of Illinois, including communities served by Illinois American Water, are able to receive funding to invest and improve infrastructure.
Brockschmidt said of the legislation, “This type of investment in infrastructure like roads, schools and everything in between will complement the investment Illinois American Water already makes in the state’s water and wastewater infrastructure, providing additional resources to keep these communities attractive places to live and work.”
Over the last two years (2018 and 2019), Illinois American Water will have invested over $250 million across the state to install more than 70 miles of water and sewer main. Water treatment processes, equipment, security and technology have also been upgraded to comply with drinking water standards and enhance system reliability and resilience. In addition, as a part of the company’s investment, hundreds of fire hydrants and water meters are installed or replaced across the state. To quantify the company’s impact on Illinois’ economy, American Water partnered in 2018 with the University of Illinois Regional Economic Applications Laboratory to analyze the company’s economic impact over a five-year period (2013–17).
The study included data for not only Illinois American Water operations but also all American Water subsidiaries operating in Illinois. The study showed American Water’s overall economic impact was $223 million to $245 million per year, for a total, estimated economic impact of $1.17 billion. About Illinois American Water – Illinois American Water, a subsidiary of American Water (NYSE: AWK), is the largest investor-owned water utility in the state, providing high-quality and reliable water and/or wastewater services to approximately 1.3 million people.
American Water also operates a customer service center in Alton and a quality control and research laboratory in Belleville. With a history dating back to 1886, American Water is the largest and most geographically diverse U.S. publicly traded water and wastewater utility company. The company employs more than 7,100 dedicated professionals who provide regulated and market-based drinking water, wastewater and other related services to more than 14 million people in 46 states. American Water provides safe, clean, affordable and reliable water services to our customers to make sure we keep their lives flowing. For more information, visit amwater.com and follow American Water on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
