"In response to a recent letter to the editor by David K. Little, President, Ohio American Water, Mr. Little stated that OHAWC is not a foreign-owned company. However, company history was not mentioned. American Water was founded in 1886 as the American Water Works & Guarantee Company, and in 1947 reorganized and renamed the American Water Works Company. In January 2003, the German utility company RWE acquired the company for $8.6 billion, which included a transfer of $4.0 million dollars in debt to the parent company and renamed it American Water. The sale was announced in 2001, however was delayed since the PUCO in each of the 27 states where it holds contracts had to first approve the transfer of ownership. Many public hearings showed that the public was not convinced that having a huge foreign corporation operate their water systems would benefit them. Concerns were raised that RWE would use American Water to finance its huge debt by increasing rates. 2003 was also the year when our rates started to skyrocket. RWE never saw the heady profits it anticipated from its international water empire. In April 2008, American Water shares began trading on the NYSE (AWK). In November 2005, RWE announced plans to sell American Water. The sale was part of RWE’s plan to focus on selling electricity, natural gas and water in European markets. In 2008 RWF spun off American Water Works, but retained a majority stake, which has since been reduced to about 25%.
"Mr. Little also stated his concern over the public relations campaign of using an out-of-state public relations firm. Perhaps Mr. Little was worried of what happened in Tennessee when the citizens there hired Waterhouse Public Relations firm to build a Web site and rally customers against a proposed rate increase. Granted, Waterhouse is indeed a Tennessee based company and their resulting campaign helped pressure government regulators to approve only about a fifth of the rate increase Tennessee American Water (same company as OHAWC) was asking for. Why should we not hire the best possible people, regardless of their location, to help stop this company from trying to make us pay for their huge debt because the their poor management and business skills.
"Citizens need to stand together and say 'no' to companies like OHAWC who are trying to make us pay for their poor decisions. The PUCO also has to do what is right and tell these corporations like this that is not the responsibility of the average tax paying citizen to pay for poor management decisions. Get somebody to lead this company who knows how to run a business."
- David Rogers, Madison Township, Ohio
"I can’t afford my water bill now and they want to raise it again???? I am a single mother that works 2 jobs just trying to survive. I was able to buy my own home 5 years ago and when I got my first water bill I really thought something was wrong! I had moved from Westerville where my water bill was roughly $20 a month! Unreal and totally unfair that these people think that they can constantly ask for more money for a basic need. Sometimes my water bill is more than my electric and gas combined!!!!! I do not wash my car, water my grass or flowers…..actually this year I did not even plant flowers because who can afford the water bill to keep them alive? The grass always turns brown around the end of July due to not keeping it watered but what is more important?? Keeping your grass green or being able to have water to shower and flush your toilet??? I had issues a couple years ago with brown water and when I called they had the audacity to tell me that “there was usage of a fire hydrant in your area so the brown water is from the pipes…just leave your water run for a while and it will clear up” My response was WHO CAN AFFORD TO LEAVE THE FAUCET RUN?????? And I hung up! I just don’t know what else to do besides conserve in every way we can. The waste water portion of my bill is unreal as well…..I guess I just don’t understand but it sure does make me upset that every time I turn around they want more money in a time when we are all just trying to make it. How come they don’t offer “budget payments” like the electric and gas company do?? They are a bunch of crooks!!"
- OAW Customer L. Wickline
"Have a family of 4 and my water bill runs about $140.00 a month, that is even if we try to conserve water and educe the amount of water we use on a daily basis. Even if we go on vacation our water bill does not change that much. My parents have city of Columbus water and their bill is $120.00 to $140.00 every 3 months. If our water bill increases anymore it will really put a toll on of finances and may make it to where we can not pay our water bill. It is going to make it hard to sell your house in this area also if people get wind of the water prices. The puco needs to step up and help us. We the people are drowning with over priced water rates and nasty water. We do not even drink the water . The water is so cloudy at times you can not even see through the glass. Please help."
- OAW Customer D. Drake
"I used to live in Bexley and only paid $140 every 3 months and that included everything! Trash pick up was included also.I moved into Groveport and didnt realize that the water bill i first got was only for 1 month! I pay $103 a month! thats not including the $50.08 every 3 months for trash pick up! and they want %60 percent more??? Sorry but their water stinks! Literally. OH I even got a little letter from American Water stateing that my house is over a certain age and I should be worried about my water lines and sewer lines leading from my house to the street! They want an extra $12 a month for insurance? Are you sure we are all not dealing with the MOB? The only way the water pipes in Groveport and Blenden Township pipes are going to go bad, is the HARD STINKING water from American Water Company!...If they raise the rates this high I will have no choice in moving into less of a home in a different part of the city where its owed by Columbus! I hate to leave the house that I am in now, but enough is enough! I am being robbed by this company just like thousands of others! I just can't afford their water bills anymore! My water bill doubles what my electric bill was. It TRIPLES my gas bill!
I will be more then happy and go to the town meeting in Groveport and sigh my name on the list!.Thats my 2cents worth! THESE PEOPLE ARE CROOKS!...FIGHT THE HIKE! AND LETS HOPE GOD IS ON OUR SIDE!"
- OAW Customer Brian F.
"How do you think home owners can pay these types of bills? many people out of work and water we need for health reasons. A 325% increase is out of control. Someone needs to get a grip on life.Come on folks wake up."
- OAW Customer Sylvia C.
"They made capital improvements and now need a huge increase to pay for them. Whatever happened to budgeting and living on that budget! How about the folks who have lost their jobs. How are they going to pay out even more expenses? Greed, greed and more greed. And the PUCO just lets them all get away with it."
- OAW Customer Post on nbc4 site
"What is it with these utility companies wanting to charge back to the customers for upgrades, shouldn’t that be part of the cost of doing business, and budgeted for. if not than if the users have to pay for the upgrades or whatever they should be made part owners and reap part of the profit."
- OAW Customer Post on nbc4 site
"I’m trying to figure out why exactly we have already seen an increase in our water cost if they are now proposing an additional increase over the next 4 years? Just this year, our water bill has doubled and we were give 30 days notice of the increase in a previous bill. Currently for my family of 3 our household water/sewage cost is $49.42 for the month. Interesting to know that we were on vacation for 2 weeks of the billing cycle and we don’t water our dying grass or flowers. How should we plan to budget now, with only one income in our household we simply cannot afford anymore increases! This is just rediculous, someone should be held accountable for this and not the customer. Has anyone looked into how much profit the water company will make this year? I think it would be interesting to know how much I pay those “executives” and for what?!"
- OAW Customer Post on nbc4 site
"We moved to Madison Township in 2003, even then we had never paid so much for water before we moved here! The quality of the water is horrid! We have to have a filter on the faucet to make it drinkable, it leave white build-up on everything it comes into contact with and it just deadly to coffee makers if it is used unfiltered. Now they want to raise the rates even more? If they have done improvements, we have not seen them!"
- OAW Customer Post on nbc4 site
"7 years ago we lived in Blendon Twp. Our water bill was routinely about $60 a month. That was for TWO adults. There was no lawn watering, car washing, dishwasher, and only about 5 loads of laundry a week! We still had to buy water from a service to drink. THe sulphur smell was horrific at certain times of the year, and the water so hard, even WITH a softener it left hard water scale and build up on everything. I so glad I don’t have to deal with this company anymore. (moved) It seemed idiotic that the neighborhood didn’t pay the few thousand dollars to hook up to westerville’s water line, which ran across the whole front of the neighborhood! I know the rates have increased several times since we left, but yet another LARGE increase? I’m surprised PUCO isn’t really looking into this."
- Former OAW Customer Post on nbc4 site
"At what point did water become someones source of income? water is here. where to now taxed if the rain lands in your yard?"
- OAW Customer on Columbus Dispatch site
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