CAPITAL REGION WATER APPROVES 2020 BUDGETS AND RATES
New Stormwater Fee Set to Take Effect July 1
HARRISBURG, PA (Nov. 22, 2019) — Capital Region Water’s Board of Directors voted to approve 2020 budgets and rates during its public monthly meeting Wednesday, Nov. 20, presenting a plan that continues investments in system-wide improvements, addresses years of deferred maintenance on critical infrastructure, ensures compliance with state and federal clean water obligations, and works to avoid rate spikes in subsequent years.
The approved budget includes a new stormwater fee that will take effect July 1, 2020. The average residential property will see a flat fee of $6.15 per month. The stormwater fee will be charged separately from wastewater and will be shown clearly as a new line on all ratepayers’ bills beginning in the second half of next year. Wastewater rates for Harrisburg city residents will increase by 4.5% from the current $7.65 per 1,000 gallons to $7.99 per 1,000 gallons.
Drinking water rates will increase by 2% to $9.84 per 1,000 gallons with a monthly “Ready to Serve” charge of $7.77 for a standard 5/8” customer meter. Under the new rate structure, the average Harrisburg customer consuming 3,750 gallons of water per month (45,000 gallons/year) will pay $2.13/month more for water and wastewater during the first half of 2020, plus an additional $6.15 after the stormwater fee takes effect July 1.
“We are so appreciative of the tremendous amount of public input we received as we worked to put in place this new stormwater fee, which is essential for our city to meet clean water requirements and fund necessary system improvements. The final plan adopted by the board is the direct result of the feedback we received from residents, businesses, local elected leaders and other stakeholders,” said Capital Region Water CEO Charlotte Katzenmoyer. “Capital Region Water has and will continue to consider the impact drinking, wastewater, and stormwater rates have on residents and business in our service area. Significant investment is continually needed to restore aging infrastructure, protect public health, and provide the community benefits that ensure long-term growth and stability.”
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 water and wastewater systems. The 2020 budget represents a continued focus on system-wide improvements after decades of deferred maintenance.
The stormwater fee proposal was subject to a robust public comment process. The plan was first unveiled in June 2019 as the next phase of Capital Region Water’s City Beautiful H2O Program, a multi-year initiative to restore failing infrastructure, reduce combined sewer discharges, improve the health of local waterways, meet nutrient and sediment reduction goals in both the combined and separate stormwater-wastewater systems, beautify neighborhoods through community greening, and meet state and federal clean water requirements. The stormwater fee will raise more than $5.3 million annually in a dedicated fund for stormwater operations and projects to control sewer overflows reduce polluted runoff.
For information on the drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater projects planned for 2020, please visit https://capitalregionwater.com/capitalprojects/.
| Tanya Dierolf | Director of Strategic Initiatives
888‑510‑0606 | 717-216-5259 (o) |
| Capital Region Water
212 Locust Street, Suite 500 | Harrisburg, PA 17101 Investing in Our Community from Raindrop to River |