Aqua Pennsylvania water customers in 13 northeast and north-central Pennsylvania counties will pay higher rates starting Feb. 22.
The company says its typical residential customer uses an average of 3,870 gallons a month.
Based on that, rates will rise by as little 9% to as much as 42% with most customers paying about paying about 12.4% more, according to a state Public Utility Commission document.
The rate hike affects customers who live in parts of Bradford, Carbon, Columbia, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe, Northumberland, Pike, Schuylkill, Snyder, Susquehanna, Wayne and Wyoming counties.
Customers in parts of seven counties — Carbon, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe, Pike, Schuylkill and Wyoming — will see their sewage disposal rates rise, too.
Their rates will rise by as little as 0.51% to 6.3%.
In one Carbon subdivision and another in Monroe, the disposal rate will drop by 0.25% for metered customers but will rise 1.1% for flat-rate customers converting to meters.
Overall, the company serves 445,000 water customers in parts of more than 200 cities, boroughs and townships in 32 counties and about 75,000 sewage disposal customers in parts of more than 40 municipalities in 16 counties.
See the end of this story for a full breakdown of new rates by location.
The utility commission approved the new rates unanimously at a meeting Thursday.
The rate increases are lower than the water company and its sewage disposal arm, Aqua Pennsylvania Wastewater, requested in May.
The water company sought $126.7 million in higher rates, but that was trimmed by 42.9% to $73 million — $48 million for water and $25 million for disposal.
The company contended it needs higher rates to pay for about $950 million in spending on system upgrades since its last hikes in 2022. The money went toward upgrading water mains, water and sewage treatment plants, upgrading wells and pumping stations and addressing new contamination removal requirements.
The commission approved a settlement that also:
- Contains a lower monthly customer charge meant to benefit customers who use less water.
- Requires the company to better explain to customers available discounts and how they can get parts of their bills forgiven if they fall behind.
- Broadens the definition of low-income customers to account for other indicators that could mean more people benefit from low-income aid programs.
- Boosting the company’s contribution to a hardship grant program by $200,000.
- Requires audits of its customer call center performance.
- Better rate information on its website.
Water rates
Based on average daily water usage of 3,870 gallons, customers who live in these places will pay $90.91 a month for water, up 12.4% from $80.91:
BRADFORD COUNTY: Athens, Sayre and South Waverly boroughs and Athens Twp.
CARBON COUNTY: Kidder Twp.
COLUMBIA COUNTY: Centralia Borough and Mifflin Twp.
LACKAWANNA COUNTY: Moscow Borough and Covington, Glenburn, Jefferson, Lehigh, Madison, North Abington, Roaring Brook, South Abington and Thornhurst townships.
LUZERNE COUNTY: Harveys Lake, Penn Lake and White Haven boroughs; and Bear Creek, Butler, (part of) Conyngham, Dallas, Dennison, Exeter, Jackson, Kingston, Lake, Lehman, Rice, and Union townships.
MONROE COUNTY: Barrett, Hamilton, Polk and Ross townships.
NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY: Shamokin city, Kulpmont, Marion Heights and Mount Carmel boroughs; and Coal, East Cameron, Mount Carmel, Ralpho, Shamokin and Zerbe townships.
PIKE COUNTY: Blooming Grove, Lackawaxen, and Palmyra townships.
SCHUYLKILLL COUNTY: Ashland, Deer Lake, Girardville, Gordon, and Shenandoah boroughs; and Barry, Butler, Conyngham, East Union, Mahanoy, Mount Carmel, North Union, West Brunswick, and West Mahanoy townships.
SNYDER COUNTY: Jackson, Monroe, and Penn townships.
SUSQUEHANNA COUNTY: Hop Bottom Borough and Brooklyn Township.
WAYNE COUNTY: Hawley, Honesdale and Waymart boroughs; and Canaan (portion), Lake, Lehigh, Palmyra, Paupack and Texas townships.
WYOMING COUNTY: Factoryville Borough and Tunkhannock and Washington townships.
Based on average daily water usage of 3,870 gallons, customers who live in these places will pay $90.91 a month for water, up 9% from $83.42:
LUZERNE COUNTY: Black Creek and Hazle townships, of the former Eagle Rock Division.
MONROE COUNTY: Tobyhanna Township, of the former Eagle Rock Division.
PIKE COUNTY: Lackawaxen Twp., of the former CS Water (Masthope) Division.
SCHUYLKILL COUNTY: East Union and North Union townships, of the former Eagle Rock Division.
Based on average daily water usage of 3,870 gallons, customers who live in this place will pay $56.36 a month for water, up 40% from $40.26:
WYOMING COUNTY: Clinton Township, of the Bunker Hill Division.
Based on average daily water usage of 3,870 gallons, customers who live in this place will pay $56.84 a month for water, up 42% from $40.02:
MONROE COUNTY: Chestnuthill Township, of the Sun Valley Division.
Sewage disposal rates
Based on average daily water usage of 3,870 gallons, customers who live in these places will pay $101.19 a month for sewage disposal, up 6.3% from $95.19:
LUZERNE COUNTY: Black Creek and Hazle townships, of the Eagle Rock Division.
SCHUYLKILL COUNTY: East Union and North Union townships, of the Eagle Rock Division.
WYOMING COUNTY: Clinton Township, of the Bunker Hill Division.
Based on average daily water usage of 3,870 gallons, customers who live in these places will pay $106.58 a month for sewage disposal, up 0.51% from $106.04:
CARBON COUNTY: East Side Borough (portion) and Dennison Township (portion), White Haven Division.
LUZERNE COUNTY: Dennison Township (portion) and White Haven Borough.
MONROE: Tobyhanna Township (portion), of the Pinecrest Division.
WYOMING: Tunkhannock and Washington townships, of the Rivercrest Division.
Based on average daily water usage of 3,870 gallons, customers who live in these places will pay $116.68 a month for sewage disposal, up 1.2% from $115.36:
LACKAWANNA COUNTY: Thornhurst Township.
LUZERNE COUNTY: Butler and Dennison townships, of the Beech Mountain Lakes Division; and Rice Township, of the Laurel Lakes Division.
PIKE COUNTY: Lackawaxen Township, of the Woodloch Springs and Woodloch Pines divisions.
Based on average daily water usage of 3,870 gallons, metered customers who live in these places will pay $136.67 a month for sewage disposal, down 0.25% from $137.01, but customers converting from a flat rate to metered will pay $136.67, up 1.1% from $135.14:
CARBON COUNTY: Kidder Twp., of the Lake Harmony Division.
MONROE COUNTY: Tobyhanna Twp. (portion), of the Tobyhanna Division.
Based on average daily water usage of 3,870 gallons, customers who live in these places will pay $73.13 a month for sewage disposal, up 2.75% from $71.17:
PIKE COUNTY: Lackawaxen Twp., CS Water (Masthope) Division.
