The Allegheny County Sanitary Authority’s Board of Directors approved a rate increase on Thursday that will take effect over the next five years. Rates will increase 7% each year from 2022 through 2026.
Beginning in January, the per-gallon rate will increase to $9.73 per 1,000 gallons, up from the $9.10 that ALCOSAN customers currently pay. The quarterly customer service charge will go to $20.45, up from $19.11.
Rates have continued to increase in recent years, but ALCOSAN officials say announcing the five-year schedule now is meant to help residents plan their long-term budgets “without the prospect of surprise increases.”
The increases will be used to pay for infrastructure changes and to implement the authority’s Clean Water Plan. The plan is intended to keep raw sewage from spilling into local waterways during heavy rains.
“We fully realize that raising rates is never a popular or easy thing to do,” ALCOSAN executive director Arletta Scott Williams said in a statement. “These increases are much lower than we originally anticipated and will allow us to continue funding the important Clean Water Plan projects.
Financial assistance for low-income customers is available through the Clean Water Assistance Fund.
