CHARLESTON W.Va. (Hinton News) – State regulators have approved an 8% increase in water and sewer rates for the average customers of the West Virginia-American Water Co. The new rates were effective Saturday.
Under its 58-page ruling, the Public Service Commission of West Virginia said the average water bill should increase by $5.69 a month, and sewer bills should increase by $5.59 a month.
The company filed for a 22.5 percent increase in rates on May 1, 2023, or a total of $41.2 million. After the Commission allocated a portion of sewer costs to the water operations, the water increase rose to $43 million, or 24 percent.
The company’s original $51 million increase application proposed a $10 million decrease in its Distribution System Improvement Charge (DSIC), which is used to pay to improve the systems distribution lines and systems.
The net effect of the Commission’s decision released Saturday is to approve a $15 million revenue increase, or an 8 percent increase in rates, instead of 24 percent, after the elimination of the DSIC charge and an allocation of some sewer rates to water.
The impact on a residential customer using 3,400 gallons of water per month will take the monthly water bill from $71.10 to $76.79.
For sewer operations, the company originally requested an increase of approximately $471,000, or approximately 25 percent. The Commission order approved a net revenue increase of approximately $147,000. The impact on a residential customer using 3,400 gallons of water per month will be take the average monthly sewer bill from $69.92 to $75.51.
More information on this case can be found on the PSC website: www.psc.state.wv.us. Click on “Case Information” and access Case Nos. 23-0383-W-42T and 23-0384-S-42T.
