Boston Water and Sewer Commission to meet over proposed 3.4% rate increase

The Boston Water and Sewer Commission will hold a public meeting to discuss a 3.4% rate increase to go into effect next year.

Commissioners will meet Tuesday on the second floor training room of the Boston Water and Sewer Commission building “for the purpose of giving interested persons an opportunity to present data, views or arguments relative to the following schedule of rates for water, sewer and stormwater in the City of Boston which are proposed to become effective January 1, 2025,” the public notice states.

Under the 2025 rate increase, the commission states, the average one-family customer using 180 gallons per day in 2025 would be charged about $111.75 per 31-day month or approximately $1,317.79 annually.

The Boston Water and Sewer Commission (BWSC) proposed 3.4% rate increase for water, sewer and stormwater revenue is higher than the previous two years, which fell at 1.4% and 1.5% respectively. The rate increase still remains slightly below average for the last decade, with the increases reaching as high as 8.9% in 2021.

The Commission stated the increase will cover “projected 2025 expenses and all other legal and contractual funding requirements.” The average combined revenue for water and sewer rates will be $24.35 per 1,000 gallons for the year, the BWSC estimates.

Nationally, over the last 12 years combined household water and sewer bills increased by an average of 4.1% each year, according to Bluefield Research.

The BWSC also released estimates for the following four years of revenue rate increases. The rates are expected to increase by 3.75% in 2026 and 2027 before dropping to 3% for 2028 and 2029.

The Commission is undergoing an annual Capital Improvement Plan “to ensure the uninterrupted delivery of water and sewer services while working to reduce unnecessary water loss and minimize pollution of Boston Harbor and tributary waters,” the rate increase proposal said.

The rate setting takes into account a number of other sources of revenue including special service fees, which are expected to bring in $7.3 million, and late fees, which are forecasted to top $2.4 million in 2025.

The BWSC serves about water distribution system, which purchases water through the Massachusetts Water Resources Facility, serves about 90,000 active accounts in Boston. The Commission also runs 1,535 miles of sewers, including 713 miles of sanitary sewers,
668 miles of storm drains and 140 miles of combined sewers, according to the rate change proposal.