Aqua PA Bills to Go Up $2 Per Month

A typical household will see its monthly water bill increase by $1.99 per month, effective immediately, the state Public Utility Commission (PUC) voted Thursday.

The average customer using 4,745 gallons per month will see a bill increase from $52.86 to $54.85.

The change reflects a 4.1 percent increase ($16.7 million in rates), down from the originally requested last year by Aqua Pennsylvania.

"Most of our request was based on the $450 million of capital investment we’ve made throughout the state over the past two years to ensure environmental compliance and the continued reliability and delivery of quality drinking water," Aqua PA spokeswoman Donna Alston wrote in an email to Patch. "While we did not receive the entirety of our request, we respect the decision of the PUC, which must balance the interests of the company, the ratepayers and other represented parties."

The 9.4 percent increase would have caused the average customer bill to increase by $5.08 per month.

"We are pleased that even with the increase, Aqua Pennsylvania customers will still be able to have quality water delivered directly to their taps for slightly more than a penny per gallon," Alston wrote.