Since 2010, Circle of Blue has tracked water prices for 20 of the largest U.S. cities and for 10 regionally representative cities, and this year’s report indicates that the average price of residential water increased 6% between 2014 and 2015 and 41% since 2010, according to an article by Brett Walton.
The price of a monthly bill for water, sewer and storm water service varies greatly across the U.S. Water prices pay for treating, pumping and delivering water, while sewer prices cover the cost of cleansing the water that goes down the drain. Santa Fe, N.M., had the highest water prices, while Fresno, Calif., had the lowest.
Sewer prices often are higher than water prices for two reasons: Treating sewage requires more energy than treating drinking water., and sewer infrastructure is expensive to build and maintain in compliance with regulations.
Atlanta and Seattle have the two highest combined water, sewer and storm water prices, according to the survey.
Storm water fees are not included in every city’s monthly bill. Some cities use general tax revenue to pay for storm water projects, which creates competition with other departments like police and schools. Separate storm water fees are an increasingly common way to pay for new sewer systems. Most fees are no more than $5 per month and are based on the amount of impervious surface located on a property.
Local governments establish most storm water fees, but a few are mandated by state law, and media reports have shown them to be quite contentious, with some citizens referring to them as a "rain tax."
