Utilities

Department Administration

Jeffrey Conte, P.E. – Director
Theresa Alford – Office Manager

Utility Billing

Lori Oliver – Supervisor
Sara Nixon – Clerk
Renee Roberts – Clerk
Alex Seibert – Clerk

Water Treatment Plant

Randy Koch – Plant Manager
Corrin Kaffenberger – Lab Supervisor
Taylor Nord – Assistant Lab Supervisor
Christopher Schutte – Shift Supervisor
Derek Smith – Shift Supervisor

Water Distribution / Metering

Brian Koch – Supervisor

Sewer Maintenance

John Schafer – Supervisor

Wastewater Treatment Plant

Carlee Scharnhorst – Project Manager

***Current Boil Orders in Effect***

The Department of Utilities will post information containing the location of the boil order and what steps residents should take during and following the boil order to ensure safety.  Boil orders will be posted on the City of Quincy website and Facebook page.

The following information will be helpful if you are affected by a boil order:

• Boil water vigorously for 3 minutes prior to use for drinking and cooking. This should be done until the boil order has been lifted.

• Dispose of ice cubes from ice makers until the boil order has been lifted.

• Disinfect food contact surfaces (dishes, cooking utensils, pans, etc.) by immersing them in clean tap water that contains one teaspoon of unscented household bleach per gallon for 1 minute.

• Water used for bathing does not to be boiled prior to use.

• Normal precautionary boil orders will be for 48 hours.

• The Department of Utilities is required to test for chlorine residuals and bacteria in the affected area prior to lifting a boil order.  If the test results do not show proper amount of chlorine and bacteria, the boil order will be extended.

• If good test results are received prior to the 48 hour time frame, the boil order will be lifted.

If you have questions or concerns concerning boil orders, please call 217-228-4580.

Utility Bill Payments

The Department of Utilities offers several easy and convenient options to pay your water and sewer utility bills.

• Online Payments - The City of Quincy partners with InvoiceCloud to offer residents an easy and convenient method for paying and viewing their water and sewer utility bills from the convenience of their home, place of business, or on-the-go with their mobile device. Please click here to access the InvoiceCloud customer portal to pay your bill online. 

• Pay by Phone - Customers can pay by phone 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by calling (217)225-9002.

• In Person - Payments can be made in person by visiting the Department of Utilities at 730 Maine Street, Quincy, Illinois (located on the main floor of Quincy City Hall).

• Drive-thru Facility - Payments can be made at the drive-thru building located to the south of the City Hall building.  The drive-thru can be accessed from South 8th Street.

• Via Mail

• Payment Drop Box - Drop boxes are located on the City Hall parking lot and inside the east entrance door (8th Street) of City Hall.

Account Management

The Department of Utilities now offers quick and simple online account management services.  

• Application for New Service

• Transfer Service to Different Address

• Terminate Water Service

Lead Service Line Information

The Department of Utilities continuously strives to provide its residents with safe, clean, and high-quality drinking water. The water supplied by the City complies with all Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) standards, including those for lead. It is important that residents remain informed when it comes to their drinking water. For details about the City's drinking water supply and its compliance with all of the standards listed in the Safe Drinking Water Act, view our latest Consumer Confidence Report here (PDF, 214KB).

The City employs corrosion control measures to protect the drinking water supply from lead that is found in older service lines. However, it is possible that routine repair and maintenance activities may temporarily increase lead levels in the water to your home. Having a lead service line does not necessarily mean you will have lead in your water, but it does indicate that you may be at greater risk if your lead service line is disrupted.

Please click here to view more detailed information.

Department of Utilities Public Notifications

2021-PFAS-Notification-Letter.pdf(PDF, 196KB)

CSO-Phase-1-Public-Notification.pdf(PDF, 199KB)

Phase-2-LTCP-Maximization-Project-Notification.pdf(PDF, 500KB)

Water-Supply-Improvements-Public-Notice.pdf(PDF, 478KB)

Consumer Confidence Report

The Consumer Confidence Report is intended to provide residents with important information about their drinking water, and the efforts made by the City of Quincy to provide safe drinking water.  The City of Quincy uses surface water supplied from the Mississippi River for its drinking water source.  For more information about this report, please contact the Department of Utilities at (217)228-4580.

Please select the link below for the appropriate calendar year Consumer Confidence Report that you wish to view.

Calendar Year 2024 Consumer Confidence Report(PDF, 214KB)

Calendar Year 2023 Consumer Confidence Report(PDF, 210KB)

Calendar Year 2022 Consumer Confidence Report(PDF, 209KB)

Calendar Year 2021 Consumer Confidence Report(PDF, 206KB)

Calendar Year 2020 Consumer Confidence Report(PDF, 212KB)

Calendar Year 2019 Consumer Confidence Report(PDF, 179KB)

Calendar Year 2018 Consumer Confidence Report(PDF, 175KB)

Grant Program for Improvements to Reduce Residential Sanitary Sewer Overflows

The City of Quincy may provide funds to qualified owner occupied residents that are connected to City-owned sanitary sewers, who have or may experience sanitary sewer backups during periods of heavy rainfall, for the installation of overhead sewers, backflow prevention devices, or approved alternative systems for the purpose of reducing the the likelihood of such events.

Please click here(PDF, 457KB) for additional information.

Combined Sewer Overflow

During periods of heavy rainfall or snowmelt, the wastewater volume in a combined sewer system can exceed the capacity of the sewer system or treatment plant. For this reason, combined sewer systems are designed to overflow occasionally and discharge excess wastewater directly into nearby streams, rivers, or other bodies of water. These overflows, called combined sewer overflows (CSOs), contain not only stormwater, but also untreated human and industrial waste, toxic materials, and debris.

The Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) Combined Sewer Overflow Control Policy, published in 1994, is a national framework for control of CSOs through the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permitting program. The policy provides guidance on how communities with combined sewer systems can meet Clean Water Act pollution control goals in the most flexible and cost-effective manner possible.

The CSO Control Policy contains four fundamental principles to ensure that CSO controls are cost-effective and meet local environmental objectives:

• Clear levels of control to meet health and environmental objects.

• Flexibility to consider the site-specific nature of CSOs and find the most cost-effective way to control them.

• Phased implementation of CSO controls to accommodate a community's financial capability.

• Review and revision of water quality standards during the development of CSO control plans to reflect the site-specific wet weather impacts of CSOs.

Communities with combined sewer systems are also expected to develop a long-term CSO control plan that will ultimately provide for full compliance with the Clean Water Act.

(Information taken from the EPA's NPDES website)

Water and Sewer Line Protection Programs

City of Quincy water and sewer utility customers are eligible to enroll in programs provided through a partnership between the National League of Cities (NLC) and Service Line Warranties of America (SLWA) that offers homeowners warranties for the repair and/or replacement of outside water and sewer utility lines that run from the home to the public utility connection. SLWA, which was selected by the NLC as an Enterprise Programs Partner, has an A+ rating with Better Business Bureau.  The NLC represents over 218 million Americans and is the nation’s largest and most established organization devoted to strengthening and promoting cities as centers of opportunity, leadership, and governance.

Click here for more information or to enroll in these programs.

Forms and Documents

• Application for New Service
• Application to Terminate Service
• Application to Transfer Service New Address
• Department of Utilities Policy Manual(PDF, 1MB)
• Consumer Confidence Report(PDF, 214KB)
• Sewer Overflow Protection Grant Program Application(PDF, 457KB)

Cross Connection/Backflow Prevention Use Survey

The City of Quincy is committed to providing quality and safe drinking water to all of Quincy’s residential and commercial users. To help ensure that the drinking water remains safe, the City of Quincy adopted a Cross Connection Control Program.

The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) requires every water supply to develop and implement a cross connection (backflow prevention) control program. One requirement of this program is to send a survey to all water customers in the City of Quincy every two years. All water customers are requested to complete the survey. Please note that there are some required fields, but not all fields in the survey need to be filled in.

IEPA regulations state that backflow preventers must be installed on certain water-supplied systems. Two such systems include: lawn sprinkler and fire suppression systems. The backflow preventers are required to be tested and certified annually by a licensed Cross Connection Control Device Inspector (CCCDI).

TAKE THE OLINE SURVEY or PRINT THE SURVEY(PDF, 37KB)

What is a cross connection?

A cross connection is a connection between a potable water supply and a non-potable source, where a contaminant potentially could enter the drinking water supply. Cross connections should be protected by a valve called a backflow preventer.

What is a backflow preventer?

A backflow preventer is a device that allows the water to flow only in one direction and prevent a pipe or device connected to the water supply line to allow water to flow back into the municipal supply system. Backflow preventers are the property of the water customer and the responsibility lies with the customer for required annual testing and maintenance.  The water customer must contract with a licensed tester to perform the required annual tests and any necessary repairs.

Where do backflow mandates come from and who is going to enforce these mandates?

Section 18 of the Illinois Environmental Protection Act (P.A. 89-445, eff. 2-7-96; 90-773, eff. 8-14-98) and 35 Ill. Adm. Code 607.104 provides the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) direction from both the Illinois legislature and Illinois Pollution Control Board.  These statutes establish that no person can threaten a water supply and that local water supply officials are responsible for protecting their water mains from connections that have the potential to allow the backflow of contaminants into their respective distribution systems.  Further, 35 Ill. Adm. Code 602.115 gives the Illinois EPA authority to develop and modify “Agency” regulations regarding cross-connection control at community water supplies.

What happens if I do not fill out the survey?

All water customers are required to complete the survey.  There are no penalties or fines for not completing the survey, however, we encourage everyone to complete the survey to assist the City in compiling accurate records so we can comply with IEPA cross-connection regulations.  We thank you for your cooperation with this program.

For further information, please contact the Department of Engineering and Utilities at (217)228-7747.