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Easton Suburban Water Authority is committed to providing quality water and value-added services at an
affordable rate. The need to maintain our facilities and infrastructure to the highest standards and
meet the requirements of the Federal Environmental Protection Agency and Pennsylvania Department of
Environmental Protection, means that rate increases will periodically occur.
Effective January 1, 2012, Easton Suburban Water Authority will be increasing its metered water rates.
This web page will help explain the rate increases and why they are necessary.
WHY ARE RATE INCREASES NECESSARY?
In the area of water service, several key factors impact rates for all customers. One is the need for ongoing
rehabilitation projects to maintain our system at acceptable standards. Over the past five years, the Authority
has and is investing over $ 50,000,000 in improvements.
The water rate increases are driven by:
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Capital improvement projects.
Proactive renovations are needed to ensure that our aging water infrastructure system remains in the best
possible condition. These projects consist of the removal and replacement of existing aging pipelines and
facilities in order to meet acceptable standards and to prevent costly emergency repairs.
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Debt service.
Water Treatment, pump station and storage tank projects in recent years have been required due to expansion,
rehabilitation and Federal and State requirements. The rehabilitation costs and the associated debt service
needs to be covered by rates. |
WHAT IS THE INCREASE?
Two charges appear on your bill, a service charge and a usage charge. The service charge is a flat rate based
on the size of your meter and the length of your billing cycle. The usage charge is the amount you pay per
unit of water and is based on the actual amount of water you use as measured by your water meter.
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Service charge.
The chart above shows the new rates for the service charge. These are fixed fees that more equitably
distributes the cost of service that is not related to the volume of water used. These costs include capital
improvements and operation and maintenance. The current charge is $18.30 per quarter, and will increase to
$18.60 per quarter for a 5/8" meter.
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Usage charge.
The usage charge, which is currently $2.80 per unit will be increased to $2.95 per unit. The revenue from
consumption pays for capital improvements and operational and maintenance costs associated with the amount
of water delivered to your home or business. |
WHAT WILL THE AVERAGE INCREASE TO RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMERS BE?
An average residential family household using 12 units of water per quarter will see an increase of $0.70
per month.
WHEN WILL I NOTICE THE NEW RATES ON MY BILL?
The new rates are effective January 1, 2012, but customers will not notice the new rates on their bills
immediately because of the billing cycles. Usage charges and Service charges will be pro-rated for consumption
and service charges accumulated in 2011.
Flat Rates
Tapping Fees
Price Per Gallon
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