BANGOR, Maine — Despite a planned 9.8 percent water rate increase, Bangor would still have the 15th cheapest water among 147 water utilities statewide, Bangor Water District Manager Kathy Moriarty told the City Council this week.
The increase is part of a bid to replace aging water pipes, 60 miles of which are more than 100 years old, according to Moriarty.
“In Bangor, we have an old water system,” she told the council. “In fact, some of the first water pipes were installed in 1875, and some of those are still in use today.”
Moriarty told the council the average lifespan of a water pipe is about 100 years and about 28 percent of Bangor pipes are older than that.
The rate increase, she said, would accelerate pipe replacement from a 400-year plan to a 200-year plan to help reduce the average 30 water main breaks per year.
“A quarter of our system is past its useful life and failing,” Moriarty said.
In addition to the water rate, fire protection rates would increase by 9.7 percent, Moriarty said.
Despite the presentation Monday, the rate hike is not up to the City Council. The Bangor Water District board of trustees will decide on the planned increase March 17.
With approval from the Maine Public Utilities Commission, the rate change would take effect July 1.
The rate increase would not be passed along to the 1,767 customers of the Hampden Water District, which purchases its water from Bangor.
“The Hampden Water District [will] be able to absorb the proposed 9.8 percent increase with our current budget number but future increases may have to be passed on to the customers,” said Hampden Water District Superintendent Jamie Holyoke in an email last week.
The Hampden Water District, which consumed 104.37 million gallons of water last year, was Bangor’s second largest customer.
The rate increase is expected to generate $543,000 annually for pipe replacement. That’s still short of the 100-year goal, Moriarty said, but it’s a good start.
“I’m very much shocked that this is so low of an increase,” said Councilor Josh Plourde in response to Moriarty’s presentation. “I’m very please you’re moving forward with a very ambitious plan ahead of time.”
A public hearing on the rate increase is scheduled for 5-7 p.m. May 14 in the council chambers at City Hall.
Follow Evan Belanger on Twitter at @evanbelanger.