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HomeMy WebLinkAbout20211108Comments(16)_16.pdfFrom:PUC Consumer Comments To:Jan Noriyuki Subject:Notice: A comment was submitted to PUCWeb Date:Monday, November 8, 2021 7:00:06 AM The following comments were submitted via PUCWeb: Name: Jan Hartje Submission Time: Nov 8 2021 6:37AMEmail: hawkeye2337@gmail.com Telephone: 208-724-3473Address: 1601 N Wimbledon Pl Eagle, ID 83616 Name of Utility Company: Eagle Water Company Case ID: EAG-W-18-01 Comment: "I urge you to DENY the sale of Eagle Water Company to Suez/Veolia. Water is avery critical resource, and Eagle citizens were not even given the opportunity to keep local control. There has been no unbiased transparency in the collection of "data." The price forwater will go up either way, but it makes more sense to keep control of our water locally, with people directly affected, rather than sold off to a foreign conglomerate with no interest inEagle other than diluting our resource and making more money for themselves. Please DENY the sale of Eagle Water Company, and allow the citizens of Eagle to pursue other availableoptions. Our water is too precious to be sold without considering those who are directly impacted, and were never given any opportunity to speak up. Thank you for yourconsideration." ------ Name: Julia Burke Submission Time: Nov 8 2021 3:08AMEmail: stevenmburke@mac.com Telephone: 208-994-2784Address: 234 E Kite Dr Eagle, ID 83616 Name of Utility Company: Eagle Water Case ID: EAG-W-28-01 Comment: "I was at my daughters house last week and I got a glass of water for mygranddaughter out of the refrigerator and had one for myself… I did not have her drink it because I thought something was wrong with the refrigerator water filter… But my daughterinformed me that’s just what their water tasted like in Meridian! It was seriously the worst water I’ve ever tasted!!! It tastes like chemicals! They had bottled waters in their outsidegarage fridge that they drink instead…. Gah! I wish this wasn’t going to happen to us! Hope that by some miracle this doesn’t! Please don’t ruin one of my favorite things about living inEagle!!! PS- I would gladly pay more for this water than the other water!!!!" ------ Name: Christopher Hadden Submission Time: Nov 8 2021 12:17AMEmail: cw.hadden@outlook.com Telephone: 208-968-3714Address: 909 N Morley Green Place Eagle, ID 83616 Name of Utility Company: City of Eagle Case ID: EAG-W-18-01 Comment: "Continued - The mayors deceptive practices continue as Mayor Pierce ran on acampaign promise to purchase EWC. Additional proof is a letter to all 4200 EWC customers from Robert DeShavo to support then Candidate Mayor Pierce for election. If DeShavo newthat Pierce would deceive him he may not have given him the endorsement. Not only did Pierce deceive DeShavo, more deception comes in to play when the mayor and a councilmember are documented making false and grossly over exaggerated claims with the mayor saying it would cost $15-$18M to purchase EWC documented in his monthly news while acouncil member is quoted saying in a city council meeting that EWC contained led pipes. It was in fact In the IPUC meetings that it was disclosed as part of the case that SUEZ isacquiring EWC for $10M and estimates improvements to be $4M which is far less then the $15-$18M stated and documented by Mayor Pierce. And, the IPUC meetings also confirmedthat led piping was phased out prior to EWC becoming a company. With the mountain of evidence showing evidence of fraud, corruption and financial deception, the IPUC should beasking the following: * Robert DeShavo thought in 2008 that his company was worth more. So why did Robert DeShavo involve Norm Bangle in May of 2018 when he could have sold itto SUEZ himself for $10M? * Has the IPUC checked with Robert DeShavo, as it is stated he is selling due to his age, that he wasn’t deceived by Norm Bangle? I think there isoverwhelming evidence that this may have occurred. * Why isn’t the sales amount of EWC in May 2018 to H2O Eagle Acquisition to Norm Bangle disclosed? Does the IPUC not have thepower to inform the public of this amount? Doesn’t the public not have the right to know whether it is in May 2018 or the current transaction the details of the trasaction? * Why isn’tRobert DeShavo and Norm Bangle being held accountable for violating Idaho State Law as well as IPUC regulations in failing to notify the City of Eagle prior to a Norm Bangleacquiring any part of the EWC system in 2018? * Does anyone else stand to profit from this deal? Does the former Mayor Reynolds or the new Mayor Pierce stand to profit from part ofthe receivables that Norm Bangle has negotiated on his behalf in the “undisclosed” agreement. The IPUC should demand full disclosure or block this sale from going thru. Furthermore, thereare direct negative consequences to the 4200 commercial and residential customers of EWC: * Is the sale of EWC to SUEZ in the best interest of the 4200 customers? The answer is no.There are no current water quality issues in the EWC system to justify the 300% increase in rates to merely tie into the SUEZ system. This is clearly just a scheme on part of Norm Bangleand SUEZ to price gouge its customer base. Clearly, Norm Bangle acquired EWC or part of it for significantly less than $10M. And he probably stands to continued to make a % of profitoff of receivables as part of the deal. Without full disclosure of the contracts to the public, IPUC can not rule in support of this transaction without all parties including the publicknowing the sales amounts which includes Norm Bangle. * Does EWC meet IPUC regulations currently? Yes, with the inter-tie agreement in-place with the City of Eagle, EWC is meeting all of it current customers and fire suppression requirements. * Does EWC meet DEQregulations currently? Yes, EWC is meeting all DEQ regulations currently. * Will the sale of EWC to SUEZ effect the water quality? Yes, it will negatively effect all the 4200 customers asSUEZ must treat their system with chlorine for contaminants which the EWC currently does not have to. So, in essence, SUEZ will be cross contaminating EWC once the system is tied innegatively impacting all 4200 customer while forcing them to pay more. * Will SUEZ redistribute Eagle aquifer water to other parts within their system? Yes, SUEZ once connectedto EWC will have the means to redistribute the water from the wells and effected aquifers to anywhere within the SUEZ system permissible under state law. I am requesting the IPUCblock this sale and perform a complete and thorough investigations." ------ Name: Shelley Brock Submission Time: Nov 7 2021 9:19PMEmail: ushorsepoor@yahoo.com Telephone: 208-559-6127Address: 8770 Chaparral Rd. Eagle, ID 83616 Name of Utility Company: private well Case ID: EAG-W-18-01 Comment: " Dear Commissioners: I believe the premium sale price that includes payment toNorm Bangle should be disclosed and should not be paid by existing and future rate payers. The premium price that is being paid to this third party has not been evaluated by anyone as tothe merits and justification of the amount. Why would SUEZ pay for the premium paid to third party? The “Avoided cost” should not include a third party premium paid to NormBangle. In fact, without this premium the avoided cost will increase due to decreased sale cost. The premium paid to Norm bangle should not be allowed. In fact it was not allowed in the firstattempt to sell the water to his group, so why would staff and commissioners allow this to be part of the agreement now? The sale price should be evaluated on the existing rate base of EWand PUC rules and regulations. The sale price should be evaluated by staff as a stand alone sale and should not be evaluated based on avoided cost to SUEZ. It seems strange that SUEZhas put all its eggs in one basket where they would have to expand their treatment plant, upgrade 14,000 feet of water main and add storage and booster pumping facilities if they werenot allowed to acquire EWC. This appears to be poor long term planning by the company that so much capital improvements would be resting on the acquisition of EW. Avoided capitalcost associated with poor long term planning should not be rewarded by a simple acquisition of EW. The commission should be asking: why has SUEZ delayed investment in their systemserving NW Boise and Ada County for so long that they will be required to spend over $40 million to remedy the problem? What if this utility was not for sale? SUEZ states that they canprovide fire protection from existing reservoirs: But has there been a study completed and has PUC staff reviewed hydraulic analysis? Experts/engineers I’ve spoken to say EWC couldsimply build more water storage and pumping locally and provide fire flow capacity. They claim insufficient peak pumping capacity and yet it’s clear EWC wells are high capacity wellsthat could serve long term growth in the region. In fact SUEZ admits they will use this excess capacity to serve deficiencies in their existing system in Northwest Boise and ADA County,which includes Avimor and other Boise foothill developments. It’s an interesting side note that current Eagle Mayor Pierce and councilman Baun’s campaigns were heavily funded byAvimor and that once elected, they broke their campaign promise by settling the lawsuit between the city and EWC with zero input from citizens who had been working for years tomaintain local control of that water system. I believe a water District could provide better operational efficiencies As we all know, SUEZ has not been doing a great job of operating andmaintaining Boise’s water system. Poor water quality, poor customer service and inadequate maintenance has all been reported in the news locally. Why allow SUEZ to take on moreservice territory until they are doing the job they are being paid to do? Potential water supply safety issues: It appears from Cooper testimony that without this acquisition SUEZ has watersupply safety issues concerning their own water supply to NW Boise and ADA County. Why allow SUEZ to convey EWC water supply to areas within SUEZ system that they have notprovided long term planning for? There appears to be large scale water supply deficiencies on both sides of this sale. Staff concluded that SUEZ acquisition is least cost option. Has PUCstaff or third party water rate expert completed an analysis to make this conclusion? We believe that only the SUEZ numbers have been evaluated and that due to the low rate base ofEWC they potentially could invest in system upgrades that would keep costs and water rates below SUEZ rates. Further investigation and comparisons are needed to confirm SUEZ as“least Cost” Option. SUEZ talks of ‘lack of investment’ in EWC system. In review of Cooper’s testimony and staff comments it appears as if SUEZ has not adequately planned forfuture facilities of their own due to the size of investment that will be required with and without the addition of EWC. Veolia is taking over all Suez operations. Why has there notbeen issue made of this hostile merger that is going to impact over 100,000 customers across the Boise valley? Staff has barely addressed this and yet Veolia has a rap sheet a mile long incommunities across the US – including here in Idaho, and around the world. Please postpone this sale to further evaluate the need for avoided cost justification, disclosure of the premiumsales price to Norm Bangle, address the merger with Veolia and question why SUEZ has not planned for supply requirements in NW Boise. I believe a third party expert engineering andfinancial review is needed above PUC staff expertise. We ask for a more detailed hearing in order to go over this extremely complicated case. " ------ Name: Christopher HaddenSubmission Time: Nov 8 2021 12:16AM Email: cw.hadden@outlook.comTelephone: 208-968-3714 Address: 909 N Morley Green PlaceEagle, ID 83616 Name of Utility Company: City of Eagle Case ID: EAG-W-18-01 Comment: "Dear IPUC Commissioners, It’s time for the Commission to have a full blown investigations occur utilizing the Idaho State District Attorney, the Ada County ProsecutorsOffice along with the FBI to get to the bottom of this transaction between Eagle Water Company (EWC), H2O Eagle Acquisition LLC and SUEZ. There is substantial evidence offraud, corruption and financial deception on the part of Norm Bangle of H2O Eagle Acquisition against the owner of EWC Robert DeShazo and the Citizens of Eagle. It is wellknown for since 2008 that the City of Eagle was attempting to purchase EWC for $6.8M by means of a Special Election Bond in May 2008. In April 2008, the City of Eagle announced EWC had made a decision not to sell therefore the bond election never occurred. It was stated at the time that DeShavo believed the his water company was worth more. In 2012, Norm Bangle came into the picture representing a company by the name of Blaus Water. Blaus Water was purchased by Primoris in 2015 which is also part of Pluris Holdings, LLC. All three of these companies names are in the email exchanges between former Mayor Reynolds and Norm Bangle between 2012-2016 and part of the evidence from Mayor Ridgeway who filed the initial lawsuits over the “Right of First Refusal”. What is important to note about all of the companies names mentioned from H20 Eagle Acquisition, to Blaus Water, Primoris and Pluris Holdings is they are all “water broker” firms that go around the country buying up part of the water system such as the assets or financials and then attempting to resell them or take a percentage of the monthly receivables from unsuspecting privately held water companies such as EWC owned by Robert DeShazo. Their scheme even involves taking advantage of “Public Utility Commissions” such as the one in Idaho, to play out their scheme for profit. They do this in a number of ways from either contracting with a municipality on a annual basis to overt a bond election while raising the rates or thru purchasing part of a system usually the financial side which they intern can receive a percentage on every dollar collected as receivables. In essence, these corporations from California to Nevada have been pulling this off one water company after another. These “water brokers” have devised a plan and scheme to even convince “Public Utility Commissions” by claiming grossly over exaggerated cost estimates for repairs to justify the rate increases just like the one that is playing out here between EWC, H2O Eagle Acquisition and SUEZ. Norm Bangle originally of Blaus Water back in 2012 has morphed into H2O Eagle Acquisition as of 2015. H2O Eagle Acquisition is a Wyoming based company that was created by Norm Bangle for the mere purpose of acquiring part of the EWC system back in May of 2018 for an “undisclosed amount”. At this point, neither the City of Eagle nor the IPUC had been notified of this sale/purchase. Per state law, any private utility company must notify the municipality it provides services in and disclose its intent to sell. This did not occur. In addition, the “Right of First Refusal” was no honored by EWC’s owner Robert DeShazo in notifying the City of Eagle of its intent to sell and also did not disclose the amount not did EWC notify the IPUC. Both parties in this matter have violated state law and IPUC regulations. Then in November 2018, Norm Bangle of H2O Eagle Acquisition in turn attempts to resell/broker a deal with SUEZ for $10M; a mere 4 months later. Having spoken to the former Mayor of Eagle and City Council members, they believe the amount was for $6M to $6.5M and that Norm Bangle stands to profit $3.5M - $4M off the deal. In February 2019, a lawsuit was filed by City of Eagle against EWC and H2O Eagle Acquisition. The case was reviewed by IPUC which recognized that the City of Eagle did possess the “Right of First Refusal” and intervened in the sale of EWC to SUEZ. The case was set to go to court in 2021. This financial deception is further perpetrated and complicated by the new City of Eagle Mayor and Council. They met in January 2021 in a “closed door” executive session without public input on the matter to settle the pending lawsuit for “Right of First Refusal” only to receive $1.75M in settlement which was actually what EWC had owed the City of Eagle for the inter-tie agreement which contained the “Right of First Refusal”. The Commissioners should be asking “why did the city settle for just the amount that was owed?” and forego the “Right of First Refusal”? " ------ From:PUC Consumer Comments To:Jan Noriyuki Subject:Notice: A comment was submitted to PUCWeb Date:Sunday, November 7, 2021 11:00:07 AM The following comment was submitted via PUCWeb: Name: Mark Jenny Miller Submission Time: Nov 7 2021 10:16AMEmail: jlmiller@boisestate.edu Telephone: 208-272-0081Address: 646 Palmetto Eagle, ID 83616 Name of Utility Company: Eagle Water Company Case ID: EAG-W-18-01 Comment: "We've lived in Eagle over 35 years and are very much opposed to the Suez purchase of Eagle Water. It sounds like the PUC's decision has already been made; however, this is a "David and Goliath" issue. We are hopeful that the Idaho PUC will listen to the concerns and frustrations of citizens who live here and are affected. Other municipalities own, operate, and maintain their water systems successfully. It is in the BEST INTEREST that we citizens of Eagle not sell out to a company owned by a company from a foreign country. Let's be transparent--Suez is after our good water. Please listen to us: there are two parties opposed to the sale of Eagle Water to Suez (including Boise City)--neither will politically nor financially benefit from this sale. Who stands up for us? *We want to maintain our water quality. *We are opposed to chlorination. *WE ARE IN SUPPORT OF DISCUSSIONS WITHIN THE IDAHO LEGISLATURE OPPOSING FOREIGN-OWNED COMPANIES OWNING OR INVESTING IN PUBLIC UTILITIES WITHIN THE STATE OF IDAHO. Mark and Jenny Miller November 7, 2021" ------ From:PUC Consumer Comments To:Jan Noriyuki Subject:Notice: A comment was submitted to PUCWeb Date:Monday, November 8, 2021 1:00:05 PM The following comments were submitted via PUCWeb: Name: David Sack Submission Time: Nov 8 2021 12:30PMEmail: davelikeswaves@hotmail.com Telephone: 208-850-9891Address: 1393 W Kenai Court Eagle, ID 83616 Name of Utility Company: Eagle Water Co Case ID: EAG-W-18-01 Comment: "I have no doubt that no matter who gets the purchase there will be price increases. My main concern is if Suez gets the purchase my water quality will change because there will be a greater chance of mixing the Eagle water with other sources. We have all seen the news about what happens in the pipes after that and it's never good." ------ Name: Stephen McCombs Submission Time: Nov 8 2021 12:04PMEmail: gr8tdadinni@gmail.com Telephone: 818-601-4976Address: 1441 North Ellington Place Eagle, ID 83616 Name of Utility Company: Eagle Water Company Case ID: EAG-W-18-01 Comment: "Do not sell Eagle Water Co. to Suez/Veolia. Large utility companies rarely have interest in local issues or local citizens; they concern themselves solely with "profit over people." Water quality WILL SUFFER as a result of adopting less stringent standards."Allowable levels" of various contaminants will increase. This happens EVERY TIME this kind of takeover occurs - there are no exceptions. Do not let Eagle water quality go downhill by selling off to some faceless bunch of profiteers. Water quality and availability are serious issues for the future of not just Eagle, but all such small water districts. Water is becoming more and more of a high-value commodity. Eagle needs to keep it's own system as pristine and local as possible." ------ From:PUC Consumer Comments To:Jan Noriyuki Subject:Notice: A comment was submitted to PUCWeb Date:Sunday, November 7, 2021 7:00:10 AM The following comments were submitted via PUCWeb: Name: barb jekel Submission Time: Nov 6 2021 11:55PMEmail: jekel_7@msn.com Telephone: 208-938-0520Address: 2862 N. HAVEN DR. Eagle, ID 83616 Name of Utility Company: private well Case ID: EAG-W-18-01 Comment: "Several public hearing comments addressed issues of transparency, legalities andCity of Eagle processing. Priorities of caution and close examination stand out as necessities when considering transferring of license for the life essential finite element of water.Especially so given our High Desert climate. This is literally a matter of ground level subsistence. Therefore, please consider potential violations and infractions of requiredprocesses warranting a thorough investigation, prior to further progress of acquisition of Eagle Water Company entitlements. This vital public resource should only be conveyed whenknown to the State of Idaho and the General Public to be fully transparent, beyond reproach, of highest competency and strict adherence to prescribed processes. Trust has to be insuredthat standards of reliability, affordability, water quality and material upkeep will be upheld to highest possible level. Local control may be the most assured avenue of success for suchmatters and best oversight. " ------ Name: barb jekel Submission Time: Nov 7 2021 12:20AMEmail: jekel_7@msn.com Telephone: 208-938-0520Address: 2862 N. HAVEN DR. Eagle, ID 83616 Name of Utility Company: private well Case ID: EAG-W-18-01 Comment: "Wenonah Hauter, of non-profit Food and Water, shares," after bidding, the privateutility can become a virtual monopoly because 70-80%of assets are underground. Municipalities can have tough time monitoring contractors' performance." Hauter cites reportsof reduced workforces, water conservation neglect and shifting costs of environmental violations onto cities, as in the case of SF Bay with two Veolia operated sewage plants.(Veolia defended its record). Camden, NJ, sued United Water, subsidiary of Suez. Milwaukee found same company violated its contract. Gary, IN, cancelled its contract with United Water, as did Atlanta in 1998 due to poor quality supplied and mismanagement issues reportedly. Puerto Rico's Solicitor General was reported to state of Suez that their attention was on improving billing and fee collection. Suez is named as one of the largest multinational water services companies. In 2007, NACLA reported Suez and Vivendi controlled over 70% of the existing water service market worldwide, including them among 100 wealthiest corporations in the world. This all points to the magnitude of the decision at hand, and what levels of detailed conditions should be required. Environmental impacts and liabilities can be very far reaching and costly. Having large company control obviously doesn't guarantee better service than what local control may be. Personally, relying on readings, local groups' efforts, public testimonies and letters, I write in favor of local control." ------ From:PUC Consumer Comments To:Jan Noriyuki Subject:Notice: A comment was submitted to PUCWeb Date:Monday, November 8, 2021 11:00:07 AM The following comments were submitted via PUCWeb: Name: Germaine Howson Submission Time: Nov 8 2021 10:40AMEmail: gghowson@hotmail.com Telephone: 208-585-4270Address: 202 Sandra St Eagle, ID 83616 Name of Utility Company: City of Eagle Water Company Case ID: EAG-W-18-01 Comment: "Regarding case EAG-W-18-01. I am concerned about keeping our water high-quality aquifer water from being mixed with surface water and having massive amounts of chlorine added to it, about keeping decisions now and in the future about our most criticalnatural resource under local control, and about keeping a huge foreign-owned company with a terrible reputation from expanding its monopoly over much of Ada County's water. I urge youto consider the fact that Suez is no longer the company that will be gaining control over Eagle's water because their North American operations have been bought out by Veolia, aneven larger French-owned company and the transition will be completed within the next couple of months. I know that rates will increase under any new ownership of Eagle WaterCompany, but this is an opportunity to add our water to the Eagle Water Department. I am disappointed that the Mayor and City Council in Eagle settled the lawsuit out of court andmade a decision not to move forward with plans to purchase Eagle Water Company based on inadequate information that was provided by Suez and NormBangle without doing anyindependent research to verify that information, and they made this decision with no public input and no transparency. There is so much that is wrong with this deal that IPUC shouldDENY the sale of Eagle Water Company to Suez/Veolia and allow the citizens of Eagle the opportunity we were promised by our Mayor and City Council to pursue other options! Thankyou for your time and interest in this important case! Germaine Howson" ------ Name: Stan Ridgeway Submission Time: Nov 8 2021 10:27AMEmail: akridgeway@yahoo.com Telephone: 208-949-9514Address: 1735 W Rush Rd Eagle, ID 83616 Name of Utility Company: Eagle Water Company Sals Case ID: EAG-W-18-01 Comment: "As the former Eagle City Mayor, I was surprised and more than a little confusedby the current city council’s recent settlement of the ongoing lawsuit between the City and Eagle Water Company (EWC). To understand my confusion, it’s necessary to understandsome background regarding the reason for the lawsuit. In 2008 Idaho State Regulators directed EWC to provide a plan for delivering water for Eagle customers on an emergency basis. EWCwas given the option of building its own reservoir or tying in with another entity with the ability to provide water to customers in case of emergency. Subsequently, the City and EWCsigned a contract which required EWC to pay Eagle $10,000 a month for the life of the agreement and gave the city first right of refusal to buy EWC if the company was sold. Thatcontract was in perpetuity. Unfortunately, EWC only made 9 payments to the city, and the Eagle Mayor at the time, Jim Reynolds, failed to pursue the delinquent payments, which todate total approximately $1.7 million. Also, EWC failed to notify city leaders of its intention to sell the company to H2O Solutions, owned by Norm Bangle. Without direction from, orknowledge of, other elected officials Mayor Reynolds and the City Attorney held private undisclosed meetings with Bangle to discuss the proposed sale. After I was sworn in as mayor,I was contacted by Bangle, and was informed of his meetings with former Mayor Reynolds. I unsuccessfully searched the city’s files for any record of such meetings. Bangle theorized thatReynolds took the files with him when he left office. Bangle also shared that Reynolds, along with other investors, was negotiating to buy EWC himself. After directing the City’s IT staffto research the matter in depth, they revealed email, correspondence, calendars and other communications that confirmed the negotiations between Bangle and Reynolds. At that point,the city council and I initiated meetings with H2O Solutions and the Idaho Public Utilities Commission. We also toured EWC facilities. It was only through a press release did we learnthat EWC had been sold to Suez Water, without allowing the City of Eagle to counter offer through its first right of refusal agreement with EWC. Also, we learned that Bangle hadhandled the closing, representing H2O Solutions. Bangle paid EWC $6 million for their company, then turned around and resold it to Suez for $10 million. If you consider the original$6 million to EWC, minus the $1.7 million, minus legal fees, that EWC already owed the City, Eagle would have been able to purchase EWC for somewhere around $3.5 million. That’s adifference of $6.5 million from what Suez would eventually pay. The current Eagle mayor and council cited a cost savings as the reason for the settlement, but if you do the math, it’s easy tosee that the citizens of Eagle have actually lost several millions of dollars through the hasty, unwise and irresponsible settlement. Oh, and the $6.5 million Suez is paying for the systemabove what the City of Eagle could have paid will be paid by Eagle citizens who are current Eagle water customers. Stan Ridgeway 1735 Rush Road Eagle, Idaho 83616 208-949-9514 " ------ Name: Susan WendtSubmission Time: Nov 8 2021 10:42AM Email: sylvester511@msn.comTelephone: 208-599-2727 Address: 734 N Caracaras PlEagle, ID 83616 Name of Utility Company: Eagle Water Company Case ID: EAG-W-18-01 Comment: "Dear PUC: Please do not allow Suez/Veolia to bastardize our clean and reliable water source. Deny this application in front of you based on a potential sale to Suez/Veolia poses a public health threat. These companies cannot be trusted with our most basic human need for clean water. TY for your thoughtful and caring consideration, your fellow Idahoan. Susan Wendt" ------ From:PUC Consumer Comments To:Jan Noriyuki Subject:Notice: A comment was submitted to PUCWeb Date:Monday, November 8, 2021 2:00:07 PM The following comments were submitted via PUCWeb: Name: Janet Buschert Submission Time: Nov 8 2021 1:00PMEmail: janet@buschert.com Telephone: 208-830-6878Address: 235 W Floating Feather Rd Eagle, ID 83616 Name of Utility Company: Private Well Case ID: EAG-W-18-01 Comment: "We currently utilize a private well, but will eventually connect to the EWC. I oppose the proposed settlement for two reasons, First, some portion of the rate increase is directly attributable to the transaction. Second, the initial percentage increase in rates is simply too high. While seven years seems like a relatively long period, the early years of the proposal are substantially front-loaded. 58% is simply too large of an increase in a single year. I urge the Commission to reject this settlement and give the current customers of EWC an opportunity to arrive at a different solution for running the company in the future. I well understand that Mr. Deshazo cannot be expected to continue forward, but the Suez purchase solution is not the only option available, and it is an extremely expensive option. I urge the Commission to reject the settlement." ------ Name: Whitney Chisum Submission Time: Nov 8 2021 1:17PMEmail: whi10knee@gmail.com Telephone: 970-531-0901Address: 356 Pebble Beach Way Eagle, ID 83616 Name of Utility Company: Eagle Water Company Case ID: EAG-W-18-01 Comment: "I am writing this comment to implore you not to sell Eagle Water Company toSUEZ (case number EAG-W-18_01). SUEZ is not a local company, they do not take into consideration the needs of the people of Eagle. I am concerned that they would use the aquiferthat we draw from for the people of the city of Eagle to provide water to a much more vast area, and deplete the aquifer that should be left for the residents of Eagle. The people of Eagleshould have access to the Utility companies that we use, and having a French-run company owning our water is not a benefit to the residents of Eagle. If SUEZ acquires the water fromthe Eagle Water Company, I know that rates will increase greatly, which may not have a profound effect on some residents of Eagle, it could be detrimental to others. Please considerthese things as you make your votes this week. Thank you, Whitney Chisum" ------ Name: Michelle Moore Submission Time: Nov 8 2021 1:40PMEmail: bestlife1970@gmail.com Telephone: 360-302-6030Address: 141 N Palmetto Ave #1201 Eagle, ID 83616 Name of Utility Company: Eagle Water Co. Case ID: EAG-W-18-01 Comment: "I strongly object to the sale of Eagle Water Co (EWC) to SUEZ - YOU MUSTDENY THE SALE! I, and many others, have many concerns over this sale. We know of people in areas served by Suez. The water has strong chemical tastes of chlorine. Suez willtake our pristine water and mix it with run-off water (river sources) so it will have to be treated with more chemicals. These chemicals cause disruption for the health of all who drink thewater. Our water under EWC tastes great and is very clean according to the water testing sites. It's comes from a very clean aquifer. Importantly, Suez is not owned locally. It's actually aforeign-owned company. Why would anyone consider selling off our local resources to a foreign company? This is not in the best interests of Idahoans! This is un-American. Suez alsohas a terrible track record when it comes to supplying good service, good water and has many complaints lodged against them. We also saw a flyer from SUEZ, stating our WATER RATESwill TRIPLE OR QUADRUPLE! What? For bad service and much worse water quality? This sale defies logic. Everything about this sale makes no sense for Idaho. YOU MUST DENYTHE SALE OF EWC TO SUEZ! "