Wichita water customers should brace for higher-than-expected rate hikes over the next decade as the cost of operating a new water treatment plant outpaces the city’s budget. City projections show water and sewer bills increasing by more than 70% over the next 10 years to pay for the new plant and other major infrastructure projects. Low-use residential customers who pay $60 to $70 a month this year would pay $103 to $126 a month by 2034, according to an Eagle analysis of city estimates presented to the City Council during a work session on Tuesday. And those projections could be on the low end of what to expect. The new plant — Wichita Water Works — is scheduled to open April 1, six months late, at a cost of $573 million, $20 million over the city’s 2019 budget. The city will continue operating the Main Water Treatment Plant until at least 2026.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle
