Indiana American Water is seeking to increase water service rates to pay for ongoing infrastructure investments.
The utility filed a petition for a rate adjustment with the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission on Friday.
The company is including more than $542 million of water infrastructure investments in its request, with $4.3 million of that going to the Warsaw area.
That includes more than $1.7 million to replace or relocate water mains and hydrants, nearly $1.4 million to install new meters and service lines, and more than $1.2 million in pumping, treatment, storage, and operations facilities.
The company is proposing a phased approach to implementing the new rates that includes
an increase of total revenues of 8.22 percent in July 2019, and a second increase of 8.57
percent in July 2020.
If approved as requested, the typical residential customer bill would increase approximately $5.60 per month or 18 cents per day from the August 1, 2018 rate.
The monthly bill for most Indiana American Water customers using 4,000 gallons of water per month would increase by 16.0 percent when fully implemented in July 2020, after having just decreased on August 1, 2018, by 4.4 percent because of the federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.
Public hearings and opportunities for public comment are part of the process, under the direction of the IURC.
The company last filed for new rates through a general rate filing in January 2014 and
received an order from the IURC in January 2015.
“Indiana American Water has made significant investments in aging infrastructure and its
treatment and distribution facilities to ensure service reliability, water quality and fire
protection for the more than 1.3 million people who depend on us every day,” said
Indiana American Water President Deborah Dewey. “We are proud of our record of
success in providing affordable water.
These investments will contribute to the creation of nearly 9,000 jobs across the state, Dewey says.
