BANGOR, Maine — Residents and businesses in Bangor could soon be paying close to 10 percent more for their water.
Officials with the Bangor Water District confirmed Wednesday that the district’s trustees will consider a 9.8 percent rate hike during their meeting on March 17.
Part of a bid to replace aging infrastructure, the rate hike is projected to generate $543,305 in additional revenue for the system.
According to Bangor Water District General Manager Kathy Moriarty, that will allow them to fund a capital reserve or infrastructure renewal account to help replace aging equipment and water lines.
In all, the water district reports 28 percent, or 60 miles, of its water lines are more than 100 years old and in need of replacement at an estimated cost of more than $60 million.
“I think it’s very reasonable,” Moriarty said of the proposed rate increase, noting that at its current pace, the system would take about 400 years to replace all of its outdated equipment.
With the rate hike, she said, that would accelerate to 200 years, though the equipment is still only meant to last about 100 years.
“We’re still not there, but it’s certainly a good start,” Moriarty said.
For the average residential customers, who use 13,464 gallons per quarter, the proposed rate hike means their quarterly bill would climb from $53.18 to $58.41, about $1.74 more per month.
For the “minimum-bill” customers, those who use less than 6,732 gallons per quarter and are thus charged the water district $33.20 minimum, the proposed rate hike means their quarterly bills would climb to $36.45, about $1.08 extra per month.
Moriarty said the Bangor Water District would still be among the least expensive water utilities in the state.
If approved by the trustees and the Maine Public Utilities Commission, the new rates would go into effect July 1. It would be the water district’s first rate increase since 2011.
Since the beginning of 2007, the system has experienced 235 leaks, the most expensive of which cost $47,945 to repair.
The water district has spent $710,545 repairing leaks since the start of 2007, not including 2012 — for which financial data was not available.
Of the 21 line breaks the district repaired last year, 40 percent involved pipes that were between 100 and 109 years old, according to the water district. There were no failures in pipes that were less than 60 years old, the district reported.
Another 77 miles of the water district’s 214 miles of water pipe is more than 50 years old, according to the district.
It is not clear whether the Hampden Water District, which purchases its water from Bangor, would pass the increase along to its 1,767 customers.
The system’s superintendent, Jamie Holyoke, declined to comment on record without review by his board as well as Moriarty and the Bangor Water District.
The Hampden Water District, which consumed 104.37 million gallons of water last year as Bangor’s second largest customer, is expected to provide water for the proposed $60 million solid waste recycling and processing facility planned for 2018 in Hampden.
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