Veolia outlines infrastructure upgrades, rate schedule and customer service metrics for Eagle customers
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Summary
Veolia Water presented recent investments since acquiring Eagle Water Company in 2021, including SCADA, a new storage tank connection, chlorination and meter replacements; company officials described monitoring of local wells and a phased rate schedule ordered by the state Public Utilities Commission.
Veolia Water told the Eagle City Council on Jan. 14 that it has completed a series of infrastructure and customer-service upgrades since buying the former Eagle Water Company and that it is working to balance investments with affordability.
"Water resiliency is a big part of our mission," said Kathy Cooper, Veolia’s director of engineering, summarizing the utility’s priority of maintaining continuous service for drinking water and fire protection.
The presentation explained why customers have already seen several changes and what to expect next. Veolia closed on the Eagle Water Company purchase on Dec. 30, 2021, Cooper said, and the company installed continuous monitoring and permanent supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems so staff can track flow and pressure remotely. The firm described a package of investments completed since the acquisition: connections that let the Hidden Hollow tank supply water to the former Eagle Water service area, a backup generator installed at Well 4, targeted service-line replacements, and replacement of about three-quarters of customer meters with advanced metering infrastructure (AMI).
Veolia representatives said the Hidden Hollow connection addressed chronic low-pressure complaints, improved peak-hour flows and provided emergency backup. Cooper said the company also added chlorination to the former system "for safety and protection against contamination," a change she said was necessary though not popular with some customers.
David Johns, identified as Veolia’s regional president for Idaho, described the company as a drinking-water utility with roughly 1,400 miles of distribution pipe and about 135 employees serving parts of Eagle, Boise, Meridian and unincorporated Ada County. Johns said Veolia operates about 80 groundwater wells and two surface-water treatment plants that draw from the Boise River. "We are a 100% drinking water utility," he said.
On rates, Veolia said the former Eagle Water system was subject to a phased-in rate plan directed by the Idaho Public Utilities Commission when the utility was acquired. That seven-year phase-in began after the acquisition, officials said, and the schedule now is about four years through; the phased increases are scheduled to become fully effective on Jan. 1, 2028.
On customer service, Veolia said it operates a Boise-based call center with roughly 10 customer service representatives. The company reported an average hold time of about 36 seconds and an average call-handling time of about five minutes. Veolia also said it partners with a local community-action program to provide a small, one-time assistance benefit for customers in need (about $100 per eligible customer) and offers both paper and digital billing options.
In a council question-and-answer period, Veolia engineers said each well in their system has level monitors and that the company reports well levels to the Idaho Department of Water Resources when requested. Cooper told the council she was "not seeing big declines in the aquifers right around here" and that "some are actually increasing," while noting a handful of wells have experienced modest declines — "maybe 5 or 10 feet over the last 20 years," she said.
Council members asked how many wells serve Eagle; Cooper described roughly four active wells in the former Eagle Water area plus several others on both sides of the river and along Chinden, putting the company’s local well count in the single digits.
Madeline Wyatt, Veolia’s manager of communications and community relations, highlighted outreach work the company has done in Eagle, saying Veolia staffed events such as the downtown Halloween trunk-or-treat, provided water and staffing at Eagle Fun Days (donating water barrels along the parade route), and ran a school outreach program using Project WET curriculum at Eagle Elementary School of the Arts. Wyatt singled out city staff and the Eagle Fire District for cooperation during emergencies and said the company plans further local engagement.
Ken Acuff, identified during the meeting as the city’s water-system supervisor, was publicly thanked by Veolia for assistance during system operations.
Veolia officials stood for questions after the presentation; staff said the presentation was for information and no council action was required that night.
The company said it is continuing meter replacements, system repairs and customer outreach, and will return to council or staff with specific requests if and when additional approvals or coordination with the city are needed.
(Notes: Figures and program names are reported as stated at the council meeting. Veolia described a $100 customer-assistance payment administered through a community-action partner; the partner organization was referred to in the presentation but not identified by full name in the council record.)
