Press Release

PUC Approves Lower Than Requested Increase in Total Revenues for Pennsylvania-American Water and Wastewater

Published on 12/8/2022

Filed under: Water and Wastewater

HARRISBURG – The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) has approved a settlement for lower than requested increase in total revenues for Pennsylvania-American Water Company (PAWC) and PAWC’s wastewater division (PAWC Wastewater) – which includes a substantially lower than requested increase in water revenues, along with a higher than requested increase in wastewater revenues.

The Commission voted 5-0 today to adopt the recommended decision of PUC Deputy Chief Administrative Law Judge Joel H. Cheskis and approve a joint petition for settlement in this case.

The settlement approved today allows for a combined total increase in PAWC’s annual water and wastewater revenues of $138,000,002 (16.6%), compared to the company’s original request for an increase of approximately $173.2 million (20.8%).

Under the rates addressed in the settlement, the water bill for the typical residential customer will increase by $8.76 per month, from $60.48 to $69.24 (14.5%), rather than the $15.01 increase (24.8%) proposed in the original PAWC filing.

Also under the approved rates, the wastewater bill for a typical residential customer will increase by $30.00, from $76.65 to $106.65 per month (39.1%), rather than the $19.01 increase (24.9%) proposed in the original filing.

Additionally, the settlement also targets a number of consumer assistance and customer service issues, including a discount structure for PAWC’s H2O bill discount program; steps to identify potential barriers to enrolling in the discount program; increased contributions to PAWC’s hardship fund; targeted community outreach in areas of the PAWC service territory with higher percentages of customers below the federal poverty level; water main extension projects to address health and safety concerns; and performance objectives for PAWC’s customer service call center.

The settlement was supported by the PUC’s independent Bureau of Investigation and Enforcement, the Pennsylvania Office of Consumer Advocate, the Pennsylvania Office of Small Business Advocate, the Borough of St. Lawrence, Cleveland-Cliffs Steel, the Coalition for Affordable Utility Services and Energy Efficiency in Pennsylvania (CAUSE-PA), the Commission on Economic Opportunity (CEO), Exeter Township, the Pennsylvania-American Large Users Group (PAWLUG), Victory Brewing Company, and PAWC.

PAWC and PAWC Wastewater are permitted to file tariffs, tariff supplements and/or tariff revisions, compliant with the terms of the PUC’s, to become effective for service rendered on and after January 28, 2023.

PAWC provides water and/or wastewater services to approximately 2.3 million people in 37 counties across Pennsylvania.

About the PUC

The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission balances the needs of consumers and utilities; ensures safe and reliable utility service at reasonable rates; protects the public interest; educates consumers to make independent and informed utility choices; furthers economic development; and fosters new technologies and competitive markets in an environmentally sound manner.

Visit the PUC’s website at www.puc.pa.gov for recent news releases and video of select proceedings. You can also follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube. Search for the “Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission” or “PA PUC” on your favorite social media channel for updates on utility issues and other helpful consumer information.

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Docket Nos:

R-2022-3031672

R-2022-3031673

Contact:

• Nils Hagen-Frederiksen
  Press Secretary
  717-418-2701
  nhagen-fre@pa.gov