The Birmingham Water Works Board. (File photo)
” data-medium-file=”https://www.birminghamtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/BWWB_pix-300×167.png” data-large-file=”https://www.birminghamtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/BWWB_pix.png” tabindex=”0″ role=”button” />
Birmingham residents will be soon seeing higher water bills.
Birmingham Water Works approved its 2025 budget Wednesday, which included a 4.9 percent rate increase for customers, representing a monthly increase of $2.14 on the average bill. Originally, a 5.8 percent rate increase was proposed before settling on 4.9 percent.
“Nobody wants rate increases, and we were all committed to reducing the burden on our
customers as much as we could,” said BWW Chairman Tereshia Huffman in a statement. “We are proud that our 2025 increase remains below national averages while providing the revenue necessary to maintain and improve our system.”
The BWW’s approved capital budget for the upcoming year is $115.6 million, a 37.5 percent increase over last year, while its operations and maintenance budget will be $142.5 million, a 7.9 percent increase from 2024.
Despite the rate increase, officials at BWW have said that water consumption in the area has gone down over the last five years.
During a recent meeting where the board first considered the rate increase and budget, residents came out to voice their concerns with their bills, many saying how higher bills were hurting them.
Even elected officials have questions about why rates should be going up.
“I understand that we should have an increase every year,” said Sheila Tyson, who represents District 2 on the Jefferson County Commission. “I get that because the economy go up. But do it have to be such a high increase knowing that the citizens are using less water?”
Birmingham Water Works, which is nearly $1 billion in debt as of 2021, serves 770,000 people across five counties in the greater Birmingham area.
