American Water Resources, Inc., a subsidiary of American Water, cut the ribbon for its newly expanded operations center in Alton, Ill., during an open house and tour for area business leaders and state and local elected officials. The expansion project nearly triples the amount of office space to accommodate growth, and also includes “green” enhancements as part of the company’s commitment to the environment.

American Water Resources’ operations center, which is adjacent to American Water’s national Customer Service Center, has been expanded from 7,972 square feet to 20,427 square feet to accommodate future growth. Some features of the expansion project include a separate entrance, additional workstations, a network room, three coaching rooms, a 24-seat training room, large conference room, mailroom, additional restrooms, and enlarged kitchen and cafeteria spaces. In keeping with American Water’s commitment to greener operations, the facility also includes wall monitors for use in meetings and coaching sessions to reduce the need for printing, as well as the installation of hand dryers in the restrooms to reduce paper towel usage.

American Water Resources president Malcolm Conner says, “We are thrilled that we were able to expand our physical space to meet the expansion of our growing business, while remaining a part of the Alton community.”

Mayor Tom Hoechst says, “The City of Alton is excited to see the expansion of American Water Resources in our community. American Water provides quality employment opportunities to our residents and gives generously back to our community. They are an outstanding neighbor and I wish them great success in their expansion.”

American Water Resources provides water line protection, sewer line protection, and in-home plumbing emergency programs to homeowners in 35 states, and currently services nearly one million contracts. The company, which also offers protection programs to homeowners through partnerships with municipalities and other governing entities, was recently selected by the New York City Water Board as its official service line protection provider for homeowners.

American Water Resources’ water and sewer line protection programs will be available to an estimated 600,000 homeowners throughout the city’s five boroughs beginning in January 2013, making it the largest municipal partnered water and sewer line protection contract in the U.S.

Designed to protect homeowners from unexpected, costly service line repairs that are caused by normal wear and tear such as tree roots and age of service lines, the company’s water and sewer line protection programs provide a solution for repairs that are neither the responsibility of the water provider, nor covered by typical homeowner’s insurance.

American Water Resources, a subsidiary of American Water, has been providing protection programs for more than 10 years and has an A-plus rating from the Better Business Bureau.

Founded in 1886, American Water is the largest publicly traded U.S. water and wastewater utility company. With headquarters in Voorhees, N.J., the company employs approximately 7,000 dedicated professionals who provide drinking water, wastewater and other related services to an estimated 15 million people in more than 30 states and parts of Canada. For more information, visit www.amwater.com.