CHARLESTON, W.Va. — With public hearings getting underway Wednesday on West Virginia American Water Company’s proposed 28 percent rate hike, many groups statewide have asked the Public Service Commission to intervene in the large increase by suggesting alternate solutions.
“The water company needs to come to the table with something very realistic,” said Kanawha County Commissioner Dave Hardy. “We all understand they need to maintain their lines, but frankly I’ve lost a lot of faith in the water company over the last year and a half.”
The 28 percent rate increase that would increase the average residential customers bill by more than $11 per month, amounting to about $139 per year. A series of water outages over the summer in western Kanawha County did nothing to make residents feel better about the rate hike, but WVAWC has customers in roughly half the state. Hardy felt it was the PSC’s duty to protect the public.
“The Public Service Commission probably has more effect on West Virginians day-to-day than any other governmental organization,” Hardy explained. “The PSC needs to get a handle on the water company,” and now’s the time to do it.”
The PSC staff, the PSC’s Consumer Advocate Division, Advocates for a Safe Water System and several other local government agencies have filed testimony in response to the company’s request, which many believe is excessive. The water company has maintained that such a hike is necessary to upgrade some its infrastructure, including main lines.
The Consumer Advocate Division suggested that the Public Service Commission approve an increase of no more than $1.8 million annually in response to WVAWC’s ask for a 35.4 million annual increase.
The PSC staff recommended a nearly 10 percent increase, while suggesting the approval of a new rate mechanism that would allow the company to pay for main line replacements through a surcharge assessed to customers.
“Let’s talk about each line. Let’s talk about how long it would take to fix each line, and what would be the actual cost of fixing one line,” said Hardy.”
Two public meeting will take place Wednesday in Weston at the Lewis County Courthouse, the first at 1 p.m. and the other at 6 p.m.