BELLEVILLE, Ill., June 1, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Illinois American Water, a subsidiary of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE: AWK), the largest regulated water and wastewater utility company in the U.S., announced today the completion of its acquisition of Prairie Path Water Company's ("Prairie Path") water and wastewater systems in Illinois from Nexus Regulated Utilities, LLC, a subsidiary of Nexus Water Group, Inc. ("Nexus Water Group").

The acquisition adds approximately 13,400 water and 3,600 wastewater customer connections to Illinois American Water's footprint. Additionally, Illinois American Water is welcoming to its operations more than 25 employees from Prairie Path who have proudly provided water and wastewater service to these customers.

"On behalf of our entire team, we are delighted to welcome new customers and new employees to the Illinois American Water family," said Rebecca Losli, President of Illinois American Water. "We look forward to serving 32 new communities in 15 counties and helping to ensure a smooth transition by relying on the expertise of local employees who know these operations best. Our team is committed to providing safe, clean, reliable, and affordable water and wastewater services to the communities we serve."

In the first five years of ownership, Illinois American Water plans to invest approximately $67 million to improve the quality and reliability of water and wastewater service in these new communities, including replacing aging water and wastewater mains, improving wastewater lift stations, modernizing water and wastewater treatment plants, identifying and replacing lead and certain galvanized steel service lines, and development of new wells.

Illinois American Water also provides programs and resources for customers facing financial hardship. Through its Income-Based Discount Program, residential customers who qualify can receive a discount on their monthly water and/or wastewater bill. In addition, the company offers bill assistance grants through its H2O Help to Others Program™ along with budget billing and payment arrangements for customers who qualify. Learn more at illinoisamwater.com/customerassistance.

Illinois American Water is committed to ensuring a seamless transition for its new customers, who will receive additional information in the mail in the coming weeks. The information is also available on a new, dedicated webpage on the company's website at illinoisamwater.com/prairiepath. New customers will be able to take advantage of the company's customer service benefits, including its online account management portal, MyWater.

On May 19, 2025, American Water announced its agreement to acquire Nexus Water Group systems in eight states across the U.S., highlighting benefits for customers and demonstrating the company's successful implementation of its core growth strategy as it creates value for customers, employees, and shareholders.

Approvals by applicable state regulatory commissions and governmental entities were finalized as of May 21, 2026, including approval by the Illinois Commerce Commission on April 9, 2026, and American Water completed the purchase on June 1, 2026. 

About American Water
American Water (NYSE: AWK) is the largest regulated water and wastewater utility company in the United States. With a history dating back to 1886 and celebrating 140 years in 2026, We Keep Life Flowing® by providing safe, clean, reliable and affordable drinking water and wastewater services to approximately 14 million people with regulated operations in 14 states and on 18 military installations. American Water's approximately 7,000 talented professionals leverage their significant expertise and the company's national size and scale to achieve excellent outcomes for the benefit of customers, employees, investors and other stakeholders.

For more information, visit amwater.com and join American Water on LinkedIn, Facebook, X and Instagram.

About Illinois American Water
Illinois American Water, a subsidiary of American Water, is the largest regulated water utility in the state with approximately 600 dedicated employees working to provide safe, clean, reliable and affordable water and wastewater services to approximately 1.3 million people. American Water also operates a quality control and research laboratory in Belleville. 

Cautionary Statement Concerning Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements in this press release are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements relate to, among other things, anticipated capital investments and the ability to achieve certain benefits, synergies and goals relating to the acquired operations. These statements are based on the current expectations of management of American Water. There are a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements, including with respect to (1) the occurrence, in whole or in part, of the plans, benefits and synergies expected or predicted to occur as a result of the acquisition; (2) unexpected costs, liabilities or delays associated with the integration of the acquired operations; (3) regulatory, legislative, local or municipal actions affecting the water and wastewater industries, which could adversely affect American Water; and (4) other economic, business and other factors. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees or assurances of future performance or results, and American Water does not undertake any duty to update any forward-looking statement. The foregoing factors should not be considered to be exclusive.

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SOURCE American Water