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Water/Sewer Rate Adjustment Effective 4/1/11
March 16, 2011

To meet current and future environmental requirements as well as long-term costs for system expansion, Greenville Utilities Board of Commissioners approved adjustments in water/sewer rates at its March 15 meeting. The rate adjustments are effective April 1, 2011.

“GUC’s water/sewer rates must keep up with the increasing cost of providing services and long-term system capital needs,” said Ron Elks, GUC’s General Manager/CEO. “Our community has ongoing infrastructure needs that must be met. GUC is responsible for ensuring that the infrastructure is in place to deliver safe, reliable water and wastewater services.”

Combined, the water/sewer adjustments will add approximately $4.94/month to the typical residential water/sewer customer’s bill.

Greenville Utilities’ water rates will increase about 8.4% or $2.07 for a typical residential customer using 6,000 gallons of water per month. This customer currently pays $24.64/month for water, and with the increase, the same customer will pay $26.71/month.

The increase in residential sewer rates will be about 8.9% or $2.87 for a typical residential customer using 6,000 gallons of water per month. This customer currently pays $32.33 for sewer, and with the increase, the same customer will pay $35.20/month.

It should be noted that even with the proposed rate adjustment the average bill for the typical GUC residential customer will still remain below the average of other regional providers.

WATER
With the increase, when compared with 34 other water providers in the region, at $26.71/month, GUC customers will pay $2.23 less than the median (midpoint). There are 19 water providers that have higher monthly water bills than GUC – ranging from $27.07/month to $46.79/month.

Compared to eight other water providers in Pitt County, at $26.71, GUC will be $10.29 less than the $37.00 median. Five of the eight will be higher than GUC, with monthly bills ranging from $32.75 to $41.00.

SEWER
When compared with 28 other sewer utilities in the region, at $35.20/month, GUC will be $1.68 less than the median. There are 18 sewer providers that will have higher monthly sewer bills than GUC – with bills ranging from $35.13/month to $56.00/month.

Of six sewer providers in Pitt County, GUC will be the lowest cost at $35.20/month. Monthly bills for the other providers range from $46.95 to $56.00.

IRRIGATION
Like many other utilities, GUC will implement an irrigation rate to comply with drought management conservation measures endorsed by the North Carolina Department of Environmental Resources. The new rate would apply to separately metered irrigation services only.

The irrigation rate, which is 1.5 times the residential rate, will assist in reducing system peak flow requirements, send a pricing signal to minimize discretionary use of water resources, and reflect the higher cost of providing water during peak demand periods. Successful conservation measures are key to managing water usage and reducing the need for future Water Treatment Plant expansion.

Implementation of an irrigation rate makes it possible for GUC to more appropriately charge those users that are responsible for the significant increase in water demand which occurs during extended periods of dry weather.

In addition to encouraging water conservation, an irrigation rate also reduces the rate adjustment for non-discretionary usage of water for the typical residential customer by 1.2%.

GUC has a total of 1,453 irrigation accounts (4% of total water customers). The average rate adjustment for the in-city residential irrigation meter is $1.68 more per 1,000 gallons. The average in-city residential customer uses 16,000 gallons per month during peak period.

We encourage customers to actively pursue ways to lower their energy/water usage and costs.

The total impact of both the water and sewer increases will be less than $5.00/month for the typical residential customer, or a total of less than $60/year. These (or any) rate increases do not automatically mean you have to accept an actual increase in your overall utility bill. Most families/homes unknowingly waste 20% or more of their energy/water dollars each month. 

This occurs by unnecessary use of electric, water and gas. Click here for tips on lowering usage, or call Energy Services at 551-1525.

If you have questions or would like further information, please contact GUC at 551-1551.