Just opened my quarterly water bill and had to double-check the numbers — it's basically twice what I was paying two years ago, and I haven't changed how much water I use. It creeps up a little every quarter: first the water rate, then the sewer charge, then some new "infrastructure fee" tacked on.
I asked a couple of neighbors and they're seeing the same thing, so at least it's not a leak on my end. But it got me wondering — is this happening everywhere? Anyone in other states seeing their water and sewer bills climb like this? What are you paying these days?
Water and sewer rates have been climbing faster than inflation in a lot of US cities, mostly because utilities are replacing old pipes and treatment plants and passing the cost through as rate hikes and new fees. Two things worth checking: whether your sewer charge is based on winter water use (some cities do that, so summer watering doesn't add sewer cost), and whether your utility has a low-income or senior discount. A quick leak test is also free: read the meter at night and again in the morning before anyone uses water.
Same thing happening at my place — our bill creeps up a bit every quarter even though we're not using any more water than before. What gets me is how many separate fees they stack on top of the actual water charge; it feels like a new line item appears every year. The leak test tip is great, I might actually try that this week. Out of curiosity, for those of you who checked — is the sewer part or the water part the bigger chunk of the increase?
It depends on the city, but in many places the sewer side is now the bigger chunk and it's been rising faster, because wastewater plants and stormwater systems are under expensive federal upgrade requirements. Your bill should split it out: look for separate lines for water usage, sewer, and fixed "service" or "infrastructure" fees. The fixed fees are the sneaky part, since they don't go down no matter how much water you save. Many utilities post their rate history online, so you can see exactly which line grew.
Mine's gone up about 40% in two years with no change in usage, so you're not alone. Most of my increase is the sewer charge plus a couple of new "fees" that weren't on the bill a few years ago. Alejandro's leak test tip is solid — I did it last month and it took two minutes, good peace of mind.
Same here — our bill is up about 50% compared to a couple years ago and usage hasn't changed at all. I finally broke the bill down line by line and the sewer charge plus the "infrastructure fee" were the biggest jump. Worth asking your utility if they have any conservation rebates, ours had a low-flow toilet rebate I had no idea about.
A tip if the fixed fees are the biggest part: some cities let you appeal or adjust the sewer charge if you have a pool fill, irrigation, or a one-time leak that inflated your usage. It's also worth going to a city council or utility board meeting when rate hikes are on the agenda