Capital Region Water replaces sewer infrastructure in Harrisburg.
Water and sewer rates will rise for many people in the Harrisburg area, as Capital Region Water last night set its rates for next year.
Under the 2019 budget, CRW’s drinking water customers will pay $9.65 for 1,000 gallons, an increase of 19 cents, or 2 percent, over the 2018 rates. These customers also pay a $7.62 “ready to serve” charge.
Sewer, or wastewater, rates will go up more substantially. For 2019, these customers will pay $7.65 for 1,000 gallons, an increase of 66 cents, or 9.4 percent, over the 2018 rates.
An average, full-service residential customer who uses 4,500 gallons of water monthly will pay an extra $3.98 per month, according to CRW.
CRW stated that the rate increases were necessary, in part, to fund ongoing capital improvements in its service area. The company has committed to some $40 million in capital projects to repair and replace its aging infrastructure.
For 2019, CRW’s water projects include lining a major water main on Cameron Street, replacing several aging water mains, and evaluating the DeHart Dam spillway. Wastewater capital improvements include updating treatment systems at the wastewater treatment facility and repairing major interceptor sewers along Paxton Creek and the Susquehanna River, according to the company.
“Capital Region Water has and will continue to make prudent financial decisions to reduce costs and limit the burden placed on our customers while investing in the water and wastewater infrastructure essential for everything we do in life from taking a shower to fighting fires,” said CRW board chair Marc Kurowski, in a statement. “Large, multi-year investments are needed to address aging infrastructure and a partial consent decree for combined sewer overflows requiring gradual rate increases over time.”
CRW has increased its water and sewer rates for several years in a row. For 2018, drinking water rates went up by 7.5 percent and wastewater rates by 7.1 percent.
