January 31, 2017

Dear customers,
Earlier this month we heard from Greater Ouachita Water Company customers at town hall meetings in
Sterlington, Monroe and West Monroe. Thank you to those who attended and shared your questions and
experiences. Thanks also to the Ouachita Parish Police Jury for working with us to plan and moderate these
meetings. The meetings were beneficial for us in several ways.
First, the town hall meetings provided a forum to update attendees on the actions we have taken so far to
improve their customer experiences. These steps include:

Increased GOWC staff including meter readers and customer service representatives
Created a dedicated meter locating team to improve consistency
Improved water quality through investments in new filtration and treatment systems
Worked out an agreement with the Louisiana Public Service Commission to limit catch-up bills to no
more than the current and previous months water usage

Second, the town hall meetings also gave us an opportunity to hear specific customer questions and concerns.
We heard customers asking for:

Answers to high bill concerns

Improved customer service
More timely response in repairing leaks
Better explanation of bill fees
Better communication surrounding boil advisories
Concerns about water quality

Your questions and feedback were duly noted. We commit to take these additional steps to resolve outstanding
issues.

We will increase training of Customer Service staff. Based on positive response, we will continue to
utilize the Customer Concern form which is available on the GOWC website under the Contact Us tab.
All customer concerns from the town hall meetings will be resolved by Feb. 3
We will communicate regularly about water quality, including boil advisories, treatment plans and capital
investments
We will continue to ensure that GOWC water quality meet state and federal standards
We are increasing staff and strengthening our process in resolving leaks
We have posted an explanation of the bill fees under the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) tab on the
GOWC website
We understand how important it is to continue improving our processes to better serve you. We know our
words must be backed up by actions. We appreciate your support in fixing these matters by working together.
Regards,
Severn Trent