Capital Region Water’s Board of Directors voted last night to approve 2023 budgets and rates during a special meeting. With the organization’s core value of “Every Drop Counts” at the forefront, Capital Region Water presented a plan to continue much-needed investments in the city’s future while remaining focused on the affordability challenges facing so many of its customers.
The board has approved a roughly $2.55-per-month increase to wastewater rates for a typical residential property in the city. There is no change to drinking water rates or the stormwater fee. The average Harrisburg customer consumes approximately 45,000 gallons of water annually.
“It’s a testament to our leadership that we’ve been able to keep rates predictable this year,” explains Capital Region Water CEO Charlotte Katzenmoyer. “Even through inflation and supply chain issues, we are focused on finding equitable and responsible ways to repair the aging infrastructure, both seen and unseen. Our plan commits $58 million to capital projects aimed at reducing combined sewer overflows, addressing localized flooding and runoff, and meeting all state and federal clean water requirements. This also comes at a time in which we have doubled the investment in our Customer Assistance Program.”
Capital Region Water consistently makes prudent financial decisions, seeking out non-rate revenue streams and striving to offset costs through state and federal grant programs and low-interest loans. These opportunities provide direct cost savings to customers.
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/.