About Citizens Gas Coke Utility

>1887: Consumers Gas Trust Co. was established.

>1906: After the state’s natural-gas boom waned, the trust was reorganized into Citizens Gas Co.

>1908: Twenty-two acres of land at the plant’s Prospect Street site is purchased and a water-gas plant is constructed. It is called Citizens Gas Coke Utility’s Indianapolis Coke Manufacturing Division. >1909: Two batteries of 25 coke ovens each are built at the Prospect Street site, and coke oven gas is later produced. >1935: Ownership of the utility was transferred to the city of Indianapolis in 1935. >1951: Natural gas replaced manufactured gas as the principal product of the firm. >1984: The city of Indianapolis and Citizens Gas sign an agreement in which the utility promises to abide by air pollution laws at its Prospect Street coke plant. The citations charged that Citizens allowed excess emission from its coke making operations. Those kinds of emissions contained coal and coke dust and chemicals. >1986: Citizens Gas announces an agreement with Texas Gas Transmission Corp to build a high-pressure gas pipeline from Texas Gas’ Leesville pumping station near Heltonville in Lawrence County to the Citizens Gas terminal in Johnson County, just south of the Marion County line. >1989: Citizens Gas announces Texas Gas wins approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to build a second natural gas pipeline to serve Indianapolis. >2007: Citizens Gas announced that it intends to close the Prospect Street plant due to a declining US market and increasing foreign competition. The decision to close the plant comes after the company was unable to sell the facility after 11 months on the market. The closing lays off 300 employees.

Source: The Star archives; Dun Bradstreet

About Indianapolis Water Company

>1871: The Water Works Company of Indianapolis is incorporated by James O. Woodruff, of Rochester, N.Y.

>1881: The Water Works Company runs out of money and fails after less than a decade and is sold by court order to a group of local businessmen who form the Indianapolis Water Company. >1912-1938: Clarence H. Geist of Philadelphia is principal owner of the company. After his death, the company is run by Harold Schutt of Philadelphia, manager of C.H. Geist Co. >1943: Geist Reservoir is completed as a source of water for the city of Indianapolis. >1952: Murchison Brothers of Dallas, Texas, buys controlling interest in

the water utility from the estate of Geist. The company is named for John and Clint Jr., the sons of Clinton William Murchison, one of the wealthiest men in Texas.

>1956: The Murchisons sell a sizable block of water company stock to Indianapolis investors. Morse Reservoir, named for Howard S. (Scotty) Morse who served as general manager and chairman of the company from 1925-1949 and 1953-1961, is completed. >1960: The water company forms a subsidiary called The Shorewood Corporation to develop and sell company-owned land surrounding Geist and Morse reservoirs. >1965: The Murchisons sell their remaining interest in the company. >1976: Indianapolis Water Co. begins buying water from the city-owned Eagle Creek Reservoir >1997: Merrillville-based NIPSCO Industries (now NiSource), which owns gas and electric utilities throughout the Midwest and New England, buys Indianapolis Water Co. Resources Corp., the water utility holding company, for $288 million. >1999: Veolia Water, a subsidiary of French-based Veolia Environment, the largest water company in the world, buys USFilter Operating Services. >Aug. 2000: IWC Resources, parent of Indianapolis Water Co., announces it is seeking a buyer. >Sept. 2000: The city asks the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission to use its powers to set a sale price for the water company. >Oct. 2000: The City-County Council unanimously approves an ordinance allowing the mayor to take “all action necessary” to buy the water utility. >Feb. 2001: The IURC sides with the city, denying the water company’s motion to dismiss a petition from the city to buy it. >July 2001: After months of negotiations, the city of Indianapolis and NiSource announce an agreement whereby the city will purchase the Indianapolis Water Co. for $522.5 million. It is expected to take three to six months to iron out the details, gain regulatory approval and arrange financing. >Nov. 2001: The city announces that a seven-member board picked by City-County Council leaders and the mayor will govern the Indianapolis Water Co. >Spring 2002: The city completes the deal to buy the water company from NiSource for $515 million and commits to a five-year rate hike freeze. A 20-year, $1.5 billion contract is awarded to French-owned USFilter to manage operations in the largest public-private partnership of its kind in North America. For the first time in its 132-year history, the water company becomes a city-owned utility. >Feb. 2003: Customer complaints more than double in the months since the city bought the utility, drawing the attention of the state’s top utility regulator. >June 2003: The City-County Council creates a committee to look into the city’s purchase of the Indianapolis Water Co. >2004: USFilter changes its name to Veolia Water North America. Veolia Water Indianapolis becomes the new name for the local water utility. >October 2005: The U.S. Attorney’s Office confirms it sent subpoenas to four employees of Veolia Water Indianapolis in an apparent investigation of falsified water quality reports. >2007: Rates increase nearly 29 percent. >April 2008: Numerous complaints about overbilling prompt the IURC to begin an informal investigation. Two residential customers, seeking class action status, file a lawsuit against Veolia Water for allegedly failing to read meters of its customers at least every two months as promised. >April 2009: A 17.5 percent rate hike is requested. >July 2009: The IURC “reluctantly” approves a rate hike of 12.27 percent. >Sept. 2009: Indianapolis Water asks for another rate increase.

Source: The Star archives; Dun Bradstreet