The company that supplies water to Alexandria and Prince William County has asked the state to approve a rate increase that would raise the average water bill by 16 or 17 percent.
Virginia American Water asked the Virginia State Corporation Commission, a state regulatory body that oversees utilities, to approve a 12.2 percent general rate increase to help the company offset what it says are higher water treatment, water delivery and infrastructure costs.
“Just as consumers are seeing increased gas and construction costs, so are we,” company spokeswoman Jessica Greathouse said. “We see higher prices in piping and other capital improvements that we have to make in order to have a dependable water supply.”
The cost of chlorine, a key water treatment chemical, also has risen, Greathouse said.
Virginia American Water has not requested a rate increase since 2004.
If approved, the average Alexandria water bill would increase $3.09 a month, or 17 percent, the company said.
The average Prince William water bill would increase $5.35 a month, or 16 percent.
“The [commission] will look for whether the rates are just and reasonable,” VSCC spokesman Andy Farmer said. “They will look at the company and their financial data and at their capital structure, their costs, their overall rate of return, among other things.”
The VSCC will review the request and determine what the approval procedure will be — including whether there will be a public comment session — in the next few weeks, Farmer said.
