PHILO – When Sharon Rhoton first learned of plans to build a new village water tower next to her home, she was upset.

"We thought it was going to mess up our property value," Rhoton said.

But as part of the audience on Monday at a pipe-cutting ceremony marking the completion of the water tower's construction, Rhoton now has nothing but good things to say about Aqua Illinois and the project.

"They had great crews," she said. "We got to know them, and they were really nice people. It was a good experience."

Monday's ceremony marked the completion of the biggest project associated with Philo's transition from a public to a private water system.

"This is kind of the culmination of a five-year process," Village President Craig Eckert said.

The new water tower replaces a 50,000-gallon tower that is believed to have been built in the late 1800s and had a wooden tank that was replaced by a steel tank some time in the 1920s or 1930s. After Aqua Illinois bought Philo's water system, the village sold the company a half-acre of land on which to build the new 250,000-gallon tower.

Aqua Illinois Vice President and Regional Manager Tom Bruns said the new water tower will improve safety for Philo residents. For example, he said, during a fire, firefighters would typically pump between 1,000 and 1,700 gallons of water per minute.

"With the old tank, you had only about 45 minutes' worth of water," Bruns said. "With this tank they can fight the fire for almost six hours."

Bruns added that with the old water tower, peak usage in the dry summer months would cause pressure to drop sharply, a problem the new one should remedy.

Aqua Illinois has spent a total of $1.3 million on water system improvements in Philo with $700,00 on the tank alone. Had the village continued to operate the water system, Bruns said rates for the village's 510 customers would have been much higher.

A long main carries water from Champaign-Urbana down Illinois 130 to a pump station down the street from the new water tower, where the water is sent into the town's water system. Because there was very little pressure at the pump station, Aqua Illinois spent $125,000 to make improvements there, such as a new design, two new pumps, piping, controls and a new generator.

Aqua Illinois has also added another mile of underground water mains in the town.

Village President Craig Eckert credited his predecessor, Jean McCormick, with the idea of partnering with a private company to provide water to Philo residents.