Rates will rise for customers of a water company that serves parts of Luzerne, Columbia, Schuylkill, Montour and Wyoming counties.
The state Public Utility Commission voted 5-0 on Thursday to approve a lower-than-requested rate hike expected to produce $10.9 million in revenues for Veolia Water Pennsylvania Inc.
By the same margin, the PUC also approved $420,000 in higher sewage disposal rates for Veolia in slivers of Columbia and Montour counties.
In February, Veolia asked for rates high enough to produce $15.5 million more in revenues for water service and $569,000 more for sewage disposal.
Based on its original proposal, the company said the average monthly bill for a residential water customer using 3,500 gallons a month would increase from $49.64 to $60.79, or 22%.
For Veolia sewage disposal customers, the average monthly bill for a residential customer would have increased from a flat rate of $56.20 to $77.00, or 37%.
The company and the PUC did not issue a new calculation of how much rates would rise under the lower, adopted rate hike.
In Luzerne County, Veolia provides water in Dallas borough and township; Shavertown and vicinity in Kingston Township; Harveys Lake Borough and Lake and Lehman townships.
In Columbia County, the company provides water service for Bloomsburg, South Centre and Scott townships and parts of Hemlock and Montour townships.
In Wyoming County, the customers are in the village of Noxen and vicinity in Noxen Township.
In Montour County, the customers are in Mahoning Township and part of Cooper Township.
In Schuylkill County, the company serves the Village of Nuremberg in North Union Township.
They are among 69,800 water customers in 11 counties.
The sewage disposal customers are in South Centre Township in Columbia County, and Mahoning Township and parts of Cooper and Valley townships in Montour County.
They are among with Veolia’s 1,600 sewage disposal customers in 11 counties.
