Water bill increase now in effect for St. Joseph customers

Yahoo

a day ago

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Customers in St. Joseph and surrounding communities will now see increased water rates reflected on their monthly bills following approval by state regulators in May.
Effective May 28, a customer in St. Joe using 4,600 gallons a month will now pay $62.53 a month on average, an increase of approximately $9 a month, or $108 annually. This amount will vary based on how much a customer uses.
The increase comes after the Missouri Public Service Commission approved an agreement with Missouri American Water on May 7 to increase annual water and sewer revenues by $143 million. The company initially requested a 34% increase that would have raised rates by roughly $18 a month.
Customers will receive information about the new rates on their Missouri American Water bill. Information will also be available on the company's website under Customer Service Billing, Water and Wastewater Rates.
Missouri American Water offers customers bill payment assistance programs including a payment installment plan and budget billing options available on the customer MyWater portal at missouriamwater.com. Income-eligible customers may also apply for assistance through the company's Help to Others (H2O) Program.
The increase was made to help cover part of $1.5 billion in completed or planned system improvements across the state from January 2023 to May 2026. Overall investments include the replacement or installation of approximately 250 miles of aging water and wastewater pipes to help reduce main breaks and sewer overflows.
Additional projects include upgrading of treatment plants, fire hydrants, storage tanks, wells, pumping and lift stations across the state.
In March, the company began the process of replacing nearly 41,000 feet of aging water pipe, or roughly 7.5 miles, in St. Joseph. St. Joseph's infrastructure project also includes enhancements to the Faraon and Randolph Water Boosters, a critical component of the water system that impacts water pressure and service reliability for residents and the effectiveness of 3,500 fire hydrants across St. Joseph.
Missouri American Water serves nearly 1.6 million Missourians and supplies drinking water to more than 31,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers in St. Joseph.