Oakview residents urge village to address private water service, infrastructure problems

Two Oakview residents told the Village of Lisle Board on Aug. 18 that the neighborhood is receiving substandard service from the private utility Illinois American Water and urged the village to intervene. Resident Susan Sriel said the board’s previous decision to renew the contract with Illinois American Water led to the current situation and called on the village to “tell them to collect their meters and get out of the village of Lisle.” She also urged the board to consider moving Oakview to a different provider, saying, “We are in this situation because of the village of Lisle.” Resident Dean Brecco described operational problems and public-safety risks he attributed to the utility’s maintenance practices. Brecco said emergency repairs remain visible on Maple Avenue following a winter water-main break and that hydrant flushing notices and prolonged street patches have disrupted residents. “They charge an absorbent rate, and the fire hydrants they provide and the service they provide is all very subpar,” Brecco said. He told the board he filed a complaint with the DuPage County Highway Department about a street patch and said he had not received a response. The speakers framed their remarks as requests for the village to take stronger enforcement and oversight action. Brecco also said he believed the utility’s leak detection and routine maintenance are “very reactive” rather than proactive and that better monitoring could have detected problems sooner. Board members did not take formal action on the comments during the meeting. Manager Cook acknowledged public comments earlier in the meeting and later noted routine staff work on other agenda items; he did not announce a specific follow-up action related to Oakview water service during the Aug. 18 session. The remarks came during the meeting’s public-comment period and were not part of a board agenda item that would create a record of formal direction or decision. Residents seeking follow-up should contact village staff for the status of any investigation or enforcement options.