A proposed 22% rate increase for water services provided by City of Bloomington Utilities, which is the sole provider of Ellettsville’s water, will impact Ellettsville residents if approved and follow a water rate increase requested by the town last year.
Stinesville, which uses BBP Water for its services, will not be affected.
City of Bloomington officials say the proposed rate increase will help address water quality issues the city has faced in recent months. It is the first increase since 2011.
Ellettsville Utilities Superintendent Michael Farmer said Ellettsville likely will not need to raise water rates by 22%, as that figure covers all expenses associated with the City of Bloomington’s projects, including administrative and operational costs, but the town will have to raise rates to adjust for the new price.
A public hearing will be held by the City of Bloomington Utilities Service Board on May 31 at the Utilities Service Center, 600 E. Miller Dr. in Bloomington at 5 p.m.
If approved by the board at that time, the proposal will move on to Bloomington City Council, where it will need to be approved again before being sent to the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission for final approval.
The IURC approved a 21.7% rate increase requested by Ellettsville in August 2015 that will go into effect in July.
According to the Indiana Office of Utility Consumer Counselor, consumers inside town limits can expect their bill to increase from $23.36 to $29.11 per 5,000 gallons each month. Consumers outside the town limits should expect an increase from $28.74 to $29.11 per 5,000 gallons.
The town petitioned for the increase in support of building a second water supply pipe from Bloomington to Ellettsville.
The pipe will be 12 inches in diameter and double the water supply capacity for the town while also creating a redundancy in the system should a supply line fail. Construction of the pipe will cost between $1.5 million and $2.3 million.
The last time Ellettsville raised its water rates was 2011.
Originally published in Ellettsville Journal, 2016. Republished here for archival and portfolio purposes.