Capital Region Water’s Board of Directors voted to approve 2022 budgets and rates during its public monthly meeting held Tuesday, November 23. Using the organization’s core value of “Flowing Together”, Capital Region Water presented a plan to continue investing in the city’s future while balancing the affordability challenges facing so many of its customers.
Drinking water rates will increase by 3% from the current $10.04 to $10.34 per 1,000 gallons with a monthly “Ready to Serve” charge of $8.17 for a standard 5/8” sized tap. Wastewater rates for Harrisburg city residents will increase by 4% from the current $8.23 per 1,000 gallons to $8.56 per 1,000 gallons. There will not be any change to the stormwater fee for Harrisburg residents. The average residential property will continue to see a flat fee of $6.15 per month.
“At Capital Region Water, we are focused on finding equitable and creative ways to repair aging infrastructure, reduce combined sewer overflows, address localized flooding and runoff, and meet state and federal clean water requirements,” explains Capital Region Water CEO Charlotte Katzenmoyer. “It’s a testament to our leadership that we’ve been able to keep rates predictable each year we present our proposal.”
Under the new rate structure, the average Harrisburg customer consuming 45,000 gallons of water annually will pay approximately $2.60 per month more for water and wastewater services. Capital Region Water’s drinking water and wastewater rates and the stormwater fee continue to be comparable to other utilities in the region.
The recently passed Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will provide approximately $17.8 billion in new spending allocated to Pennsylvania. The state can expect to receive $1.4 billion over five years to improve water infrastructure, and Capital Region Water plans to pursue that funding.
“We also look forward to working with City of Harrisburg officials to maximize the investment of American Rescue Plan Act or ARPA resources which provide about $48 million locally,” added Marc Kurowski, Capital Region Water Board Chair. “With water and sewer infrastructure projects as an eligible use of funds, investments to reduce pollution just make environmental and financial sense.” As a municipal authority, Capital Region Water, which is audited annually by an independent financial auditing firm, does not earn a profit, and invests its revenue into operating and improving the Harrisburg area’s drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater systems.
For more information on the drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater budgets and rates, please visit https://capitalregionwater.com/resources/financial-reports/.