Privacy Policy

 

This Privacy Policy has been created by Aquarion Water Company (“Aquarion,” “we” or “our”) and its affiliates (collectively "Aquarion," "we" or "our") and sets forth our policies concerning the information we collect and use and the measures we take to protect and limit access to it. 

This policy also describes the options you have to access, change or correct your information. We take seriously the protection of your personal information, but you must also safeguard your accounts from unauthorized access and use of your information. 

This Privacy Policy may be updated from time to time, and we encourage you to periodically check for updates and revisions to this Policy. This policy was last updated on June 26, 2023.

If you have any questions regarding this Privacy Policy, please contact us.

This Privacy Policy addresses these topics:

What information we collect and how we collect it
How we use information we collect
How do we share your information?
How we safeguard your information
How you can safeguard your information
How you can control your information and how we communicate with you
Using social media sites
How you can access, change or correct your information
Our linking policy
Protecting children’s privacy online
Additional privacy terms for Connecticut residents
Disclaimer

What Information We Collect and How We Collect it

We collect the following categories of information that you voluntarily provide to us when you communicate with Aquarion or Aquarion contractors or service providers. We use this information to provide you with our services, maintain your account, operate our business, and to otherwise communicate with you. We may share this information to service providers and contractors, regulatory authorities, and financial services entities or to other third parties as required by law.   

Identifiers: Personal data such as your name, signature, postal address, email address, account username, password, IP address, phone number, or other similar unique identifiers.  

Sensitive Personal Information: Aquarion does not collect sensitive information such as your racial or ethnic origin, biometric data or health information.

Account History and Payment Information: We or our service providers may collect your bank account, credit card or debit card information, and account history.   

Demographic Data:  Such as date of birth.

Details About Your Home: Such as home ownership or renter status. 
Water Usage and Efficiency Information: Such as water usage, products or services obtained or considered, or other information related to your utility account history.  

Geolocation Data: We collect precise geolocation information to provide you with our services and to better tailor our services to you depending on your geographical region.  

Aggregated/De-Identified Information:  We also collect information in an aggregated and de-identified form from various sources, including but not limited to accounts, transactions and usage.  Such information does not identify individual customers but may be used for our business purposes – to identify new offerings, communications, research or analyzing market trends, and other purposes consistent with applicable laws. 

Online Information: We and our contractors and service providers also collect information you provide through your online activity, access and use of our and their websites and applications using tracking technologies such as cookies, Google Analytics, pixel tags, web beacons, and clear GIFs, and through HTML-formatted email messages to measure the effectiveness and success of our communications. Examples of the information that we collect through these tracking technologies include browsing history, search history, information about your interactions with our website, use of our mobile apps, or interactions with our digital advertisements, log data, including  your Internet Provider (IP) address (a number that is automatically assigned to the device that you are using by your Internet Service Provider (ISP) is identified and logged automatically in our server log files whenever you visit our websites);  your Media Access Control (MAC) address, device type, screen resolution, operating system version and internet browser type and version, time spent on our websites, pages you visited, location and your relationship with us, and statistical  information about your usage of our websites and applications. This online information is used to improve your online experience and is kept for a limited time period. All such information is deleted within 90 days of collection.

Third Party Widgets: We may allow certain widgets (e.g., social share buttons) on our sites and the sites of service providers and contractors that enable users to easily share information on another platform, such as a social media platform.  The third parties that own these widgets may have access to information about your browsing on the pages of our sites where these widgets are placed.  We recommend that you review the privacy and security policies and other terms and conditions of these third-party sites. 

How Do We Use Information We Collect?

Aquarion may use your personal data for legitimate business purposes such as providing appropriate customer service, conducting business operations, complying with law, legal process or regulators, protecting the security of critical infrastructure and key resources, and ensuring information security. We do not use or disclose your personal data for any purpose other than as permitted by applicable law. We do not sell your personal data for monetary consideration. Aquarion will also obtain your consent if it collects or processes your personal data for other purposes not contained in this Privacy Policy or otherwise disclosed to you.   

We may use the information we obtain about you to: 

• Provide water services or products to you. 
• Communicate with you regarding our services and other products or services that you have requested or may be of interest to you. 
• Promote efficiency and to better understand your use of our services and provide you with information to improve the efficiency of our services. 
• Operate and maintain safe, secure and reliable services and to serve you as a regulated public utility.
• Improve the functionality, design, security and usability of our websites and mobile applications, by customizing the content and layout of our pages for your use, by analyzing the statistical information that we collect about your usage of our websites to enable us to improve the design and functionality, to monitor responses of our communications and content, and to assist us with resolving customer questions regarding our websites. 
• Improve our websites by customizing the content and layout of our pages for your use, by analyzing the statistical information that we collect about your usage of our websites to enable us to improve the design and functionality, to monitor responses of our communications and content, and to assist us with resolving customer questions regarding our websites.
• Comply with a valid warrant, subpoena, or court order, or exercise or defend legal claims or otherwise comply with our legal obligations. 
• Comply with regulatory requests or orders, or requests or orders from other local, state or federal governmental agencies with legal authority to obtain the personal data from Aquarion. 
• Develop and implement marketing, education and outreach plans to improve the services and products we provide to you and other consumers. 
• Protect against and prevent fraud and identity theft, unauthorized transactions, claims and other liabilities, including past due accounts. 
• Enable service providers and contractors to provide water-related services to you, products or equipment for Aquarion business purposes consistent with Aquarion's relationship with you and/or to comply with regulatory and legal obligations, subject to appropriate confidentiality and security requirements. 
• Notify credit reporting agencies and collection agencies if your account is assigned for collection. 
• Assist emergency responders in situations of threats to life or property. 
• Create aggregated or de-identified data for analytics purposes. 
• For any purpose for which we obtained your consent.

We retain your personal data based on legal requirements or business needs. Generally, we only retain personal data for as long as is reasonably necessary for our business purpose or as required by law.   

How Do We Share Your Information?

If you have provided written authorization to Aquarion to release your information to third parties, we will comply with your authorization and release such information to those parties as directed by you. 

Your personal data may be shared with third parties such as service providers and contractors providing equipment and services to the Company and to provide services to you, such as payment processing services. Your personal data may also be shared with regulators and governmental authorities to comply with any applicable law, regulation, legal process or enforceable government request, and to protect information and the security of critical infrastructure and key resources. Information may also be shared between the Company’s affiliates, but only if we reasonably believe it complies with legal and regulatory requirements.  

We may share personal data for appropriate business purposes and for those purposes, may provide such information to third parties such as financial services entities, credit reporting agencies, contractors, service providers, and analytics firms. Aquarion does not sell customer personal data for any monetary value. Aquarion may also provide customer data in an aggregated or de-identified form, if appropriate. 

At any time and for any lawful purpose, Aquarion may monitor, intercept, record, and search any communications or data transiting or stored on our information systems. At Aquarion’s sole discretion, we may disclose pertinent information to governmental authorities to protect the security of critical infrastructure and key resources, to ensure information security, or to comply with any applicable law, regulation, legal process, or enforceable governmental request. Aquarion may disclose information it determines in good faith to be necessary to investigate, prevent or respond to suspected illegal activities or interference with the operation of our websites or our Terms and Conditions.

How We Safeguard Your Information

We have rigorous security measures in place to protect and prevent the loss, misuse and alteration of the information that you provide to Aquarion that is under our control. These measures may include device safeguards, industry-standard encryption technologies, secured files and buildings.  

To protect your information, especially personal data, from unauthorized access and use, we use security measures that comply with applicable federal and state laws, as well as governmental and quasi-governmental agencies with regulatory authority over Aquarion. We protect the confidentiality of the personal data we collect by maintaining physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards, with additional security measures and precautions for financial account numbers. 

The measures we use to safeguard your information, particularly personal data, include: 

• Information technology and physical security measures 
• Limiting access to personal data 
• Prohibiting unlawful disclosure of personal data 
• Training our employees in the proper handling of personal data
• Requiring that third parties, such as service providers and contractors, that receive or have access to personal data, comply with all applicable laws and secure, have appropriate security controls and keep confidential and limit access to and use of your personal data 
• Reviewing our safeguards on a regular basis

How Can You Safeguard Your Information?


As an important security measure, you should never share your User ID or password with anyone else, and always be sure to log out and close your browser window when you have finished working to ensure that no one else can access your information. This is especially important if you share a computer with someone else or are using a computer in a library or other public place. 

Aquarion will never ask you for your password in an unsolicited phone call or unsolicited email. 

It is important to note that email is not considered a secure medium and the transmission, receipt or security of information which you send via email cannot be guaranteed. Our email communications to you are available to anyone with access to your email account. 

Unfortunately, no data transmission over the Internet can be guaranteed to be 100 percent secure. Although we use the best available technology (i.e., encryption, firewalls, access control software, etc.) to protect your information, we cannot guarantee the security of any information you transmit to us through our online products or services. As such, you provide information at your own risk. Once we receive your transmission, we employ rigorous security measures to protect against the loss, misuse and alteration of information on our systems. 

How you Can Control your Information and How we Communicate with You 


Setting Up an Online Account and Preferences: As a customer, you may sign up for an online account profile at Aquarion.com to get instant access to your bill, make payments, set your communication preferences and receive important alerts (your "Account"). You can view past bills and payments and usage history and update certain personal data and communication preferences through your online account.

When you register to access your account on our website, you will set up an online profile and will be asked to provide your email address. Transactional emails will be sent to this email address to notify you of payments due and other account reminders, and to confirm your general activity as part of your online account management. You can adjust your notification settings at any time by signing into your online profile and visiting the alerts and notification page under your account settings. Changing your settings does not mean Aquarion will not contact you about your account or your service. For example, current customers will continue to receive emergency notifications from Aquarion related to your service or as may be required by law, and you cannot opt out of these communications.

Voice Calls, Texts and SMS Messages: You will receive occasional voice, text and SMS messages from Aquarion providing updates about your account or services. Providing your mobile phone number is not required in order to receive products or services from Aquarion. Message and data rates may apply, and your carrier's rates will apply. We may disclose your mobile phone number to service providers with whom we contract in order to send you automated text messages, but we will not disclose your mobile phone number to third parties for their own marketing purposes without your express consent. Current customers will continue to receive emergency notifications from Aquarion related to your service or as may be required by law, and you cannot opt out of these communications. 

Email Communications: Aquarion may also send you marketing emails to provide you with newsletters, safety tips and information, payment-related programs, conservation restrictions, and other optional information. You can opt out of these marketing emails using the unsubscribe link found at the bottom of the email or by signing into your online account and visiting the email preferences section. You can also contact an Aquarion customer service representative by phone.

You may opt out of providing certain types of information by not providing it or by discontinuing your use of the websites and applications; by setting preferences on your online account  or by contacting us. Please note that even if you discontinue use of online account services, we will still store some personal data in our customer systems.  

Connecticut Residents: Additional rights under Connecticut law for Connecticut residents regarding your personal data, opt-out options, and consent  may be found in the Additional Privacy Terms for Connecticut residents section. 

Using Social Media Sites 


Aquarion provides experiences on social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn that enable online sharing and collaboration among registered users.

• When visiting any official Aquarion social media page, you are subject to this Aquarion Privacy Policy and the Terms of Use and Privacy Policies of those respective platforms.
• In addition, please note that any content you post on official Aquarion managed social media pages, such as pictures, opinions, or any personal information that you make available to other participants on these social platforms, is subject to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policies of those respective platforms.
• We recommend that you review their privacy and security policies and other terms and conditions to understand your rights and obligations.
• If you wish to opt out of online targeted ads posted by those platforms, you can visit the applicable media platform or, alternatively, to exercise broader opt-out rights, visit the websites of online industry groups such as the National Advertising Initiative (NAI) or the Digital Advertising Alliance (DAA) to learn more about your opt-out options for multiple media and advertising platforms. Please note that these online opt-outs are cookie-based and are controlled by these platforms, not Aquarion.

How you Can Access, Change or Correct your Information


Changes you can make to your information: You can access your account and update or correct certain personal data, including your phone number, mailing address, password, user ID and banking information, online at any time at Aquarion.com. You will need your User ID and password to do so. If you have forgotten your password, you can request a new one by selecting the “Forgot Your Password” option on our sign in page. Please note that if you choose not to have an online account with us, we will still store some of your personal data in our billing system if you are a customer. 
• You can also access, update or correct certain account information, such as legal name change, by contacting us.  
• Note for Connecticut residents: Additional information access options may be found below in the Additional Privacy Terms for Connecticut residents section. 

Linking Policy


For your convenience and to provide additional information, our websites may link to other non-Aquarion websites for your convenience and information. 

In providing these links, Aquarion does not endorse, monitor or control the content, products, services, activities or viewpoints expressed by these unaffiliated party websites. 

When you leave Aquarion websites and visit the website of an unaffiliated party, this Privacy Policy no longer applies and you will be subject to the unaffiliated party's policies regarding their website, which we recommend that you review. 

Aquarion does not guarantee and is not responsible for the privacy or security of these sites, including the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of their information. We are not responsible for the content of linked websites, or your use of these unaffiliated party websites.

Protecting Children’s Privacy Online


Our services are not directed to persons under 18 years of age, and Aquarion does not knowingly collect any personal information of persons under 18 years of age unless required by applicable law. If you believe a person under 18 years of age has provided us with personal information, please contact us with a brief description of your concern. 

Special notice to young visitors of this Aquarion site

• For the sites that this Privacy Policy applies to, we do not knowingly collect information from persons under 18 years of age. 
• If you are under the age of 18, you must review this Privacy Policy with your parent or legal guardian and obtain services from us or use this website only with your parent or guardian’s express authorization and written consent. If you are under the age of 13, you may not provide us with your name, email address, phone number or any other personal data. 
• Visit the Federal Trade Commission website for more information about the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act. 

Additional Privacy Terms for Connecticut Residents


Public Act No. 22-15, also known as the Connecticut Consumer Data Protection Act (“CTDPA”) provides Connecticut residents with certain additional rights related to Aquarion’s processing of your personal data. If you are a Connecticut resident, the sections above in this Privacy Policy, together with the following sections, describe those rights and how you can exercise them. 

Exercising Your Privacy RightsAuthentication: To respond to your requests to access, obtain a copy of, correct or delete your personal data, we will need to verify your identity and/or authority to make such requests and access, receive, modify or delete such personal data. When you submit a request, we will take steps to verify your identity. You are not required to create an account with us to submit a request. We may ask you to provide us with information about yourself in order to verify your identity. We will only use the personal information you provide in connection with identity verification to verify the requestor's identity or authority to make the request and whenever feasible, we will attempt to match the information you provide with information we may already have about you. You can use our Connecticut Data Privacy Request form to exercise your rights or contact us by phone

Sensitive Personal Data and Right to Revoke Consent: Aquarion does not collect sensitive information such as your racial or ethnic origin, biometric data or health information.

Opt-Out Rights Targeted Advertising for Marketing Purposes: You have the right to opt out of our use of your personal data to communicate with you by email about particular programs and opportunities that may be of interest to you. These communications are considered targeted advertising and you can always opt out of such emails using the unsubscribe link found at the bottom of the email.

You may also receive online ads about Aquarion on social media and other advertising platforms, (sometimes referred to as “interest-based” or “personalized” advertising) that are targeted and controlled by these platforms.  If you wish to opt out of such online targeted ads, you can visit the applicable media platform or, alternatively, to exercise broader opt-out rights, visit the websites of online industry groups such as the National Advertising Initiative (NAI) or the Digital Advertising Alliance (DAA) to learn more about your opt-out options for multiple media and advertising platforms. Please note that these online opt-outs are cookie-based and are controlled by these platforms, not Aquarion.

Opt-Out Rights for Profiling: Aquarion does not engage in profiling in the furtherance of solely automated decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects concerning the consumer. However, to the extent any services we provide to customers are deemed "profiling” under the CTDPA, you have the right to consent or revoke your consent and/or opt out of the “profiling” of your personal data. You can use our Connecticut Data Privacy Request form to exercise your rights or contact us by phone

Sale of Personal Data: Aquarion does not sell customer personal data for any monetary value. 

Third-Party: If you wish to authorize a third party to exercise an opt-out right on your behalf through an authorized agent, please use our Connecticut Data Privacy Request form to exercise your rights or contact us by phone

Right to Access and Obtain a Copy of Personal Data: You have the right to access and obtain a copy of your personal data processed by Aquarion. 

• You can access your account information at any time. You will need your User ID and password to do so. If you have forgotten your password, you can request a new one by selecting the “Forgot Your Password” option on our sign-in page
• You also have the right to request and obtain from us, once every twelve months and free of charge, a copy of the personal data that Aquarion processes, and, to the extent technically feasible, we will provide you this information in a portable format. 
• Authentication will be required to process your request and if we are unable to authenticate the request, we will advise you accordingly. If we deny your request, once fully authenticated, we will advise you and how you may appeal the decision. If you are a Connecticut resident and would like to make such a request, please use our Connecticut Data Privacy Request form to exercise your rights or contact us by phone

Right to Request Deletion of Your Personal Data: You have the right to request that Aquarion delete your personal data subject to certain limitations. For example, we do need to keep certain personal data to provide you with the services you request and to meet data retention and operation requirements. If we do not delete your personal data for reasons permitted under applicable law, we will advise you accordingly about how you may appeal the decision. You can request that we delete some or all of your personal data after you have requested and reviewed a copy of your data. If you are a Connecticut resident and would like to make such a request, please use our Connecticut Data Privacy Request form to exercise your rights or contact us by phone

Right to Change or Correct Personal Data: You can request that we change or correct certain personal data after you have requested and reviewed a copy of your data. You have the right to update or correct certain personal data, including your phone number, mailing address, password, user name or banking information through your online account on Aquarion.com or change your legal name by contacting us by phone. You can access your account information at any time. You will need your User ID and password to do so. If you have forgotten your password, you can request a new one by selecting the “Forgot Your Password” option on our sign-in page

Appeal: If Aquarion declines to take action on your request, you may submit an appeal request. Once we receive an appeal, we have 60 days under the CTDPA to inform you in writing of any action taken or not taken in response to the appeal. If we deny your rights request after an appeal, under the CTDPA you may contact the Connecticut Attorney General’s Office at https://portal.ct.gov/AG/Contact-the-Attorney-Generals-Office/Contact-the-Attorney-Generals-Office.

Disclaimer

The purpose of this site is to provide you with information about Aquarion. The information is not a representation, prospectus or circular in respect of any security of Aquarion or its affiliates.

Although we make every effort to keep the information available through our web pages current and correct, we do not guarantee its accuracy or usefulness in any way. Your use of information on this site is at your own risk. We cannot be responsible for any damage you may incur through your accessing or use of this site, and we cannot guarantee that information you provide us through forms or email will be kept confidential.

Links from pages on Aquarion's website to non-Aquarion sites do not constitute an endorsement by Aquarion, its subsidiaries, operating units or partners, of any entities, advertisers, products or services therein, or of the activities of any entities therein. We are not responsible for and do not control or monitor the content of non-Aquarion sites or the accuracy of information found therein.

Certain materials on our websites are copyright protected. Use of any website material is prohibited without express written permission from Aquarion. Any unauthorized use of these materials could be in violation of copyright, trademark, publicity or privacy laws.

Contact Us 

If you have questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy, or would like more information, please contact us