Utility Rate Study

Utility Rate Study Webpage-Faucet

Overview:

Starting in Spring 2023, City utility customers will see an increase in their water, stormwater, and sewer rates. These rate increases come at the recommendation of the Utility Rate Study, which was conducted over the past year by staff and a consultant and was adopted by the City Council in December 2022. The following page explains the rate increases, why we are doing this, and how you can prepare for the changes to your bill.

Funding Future Infrastructure

Over the past several years, the City has had to make significant upgrades to our infrastructure, especially sewer and stormwater. Some of these upgrades are in response to an emergency repair or replacement. Much of Puyallup’s existing stormwater, sewer, and drinking water mains have either reached the end of their life cycle or need replacement within the next ten years. At our current rate of utility revenues, the City will not be able to adequately fund these future projects, which puts us even further behind in funding projects. The City is raising its utility rates for the following reasons.

  1. Fund the replacement of aging infrastructure.
  2. Alleviate costly emergency repairs on existing infrastructure.
  3. Bring our utilities to a comparable rate with other comparable cities.
  4. Create a long-term, sustainable financial plan for our utilities.
  5. Ensure our customers have clean, reliable drinking water, toilets keep flushing, and roads are free of flooding due to stormwater backup.
  1. Utility Rate Increase Explained

Your utility bill is largely based on your usage. On average, our utility customers consume about 1,100 cubic feet of water every two months. Based on that usage, here is a breakdown of how much additional you’ll pay bi-monthly (every two months).

Water = $6.95

Sewer = $13.59

Stormwater = $6.47*

Total = $27.01

*Stormwater is not based on usage and is charged at a flat rate.

Puyallup utility customers will pay, on average, an extra $27.01 every two months. This comes out to an extra $13.50 per month.

On a percentage basis, this translates to the following increases.

Water – 14.2%

Sewer – 12.2%

Stormwater – 23.2%

Each percentage increase is broken down into two parts: 1) an inflation adjustment of 8.2 percent in 2023, and 2) a “catch-up” increase. Each catch-up rate is different based on the utility. The catch-up rate is exactly what it implies. It is the rate we need to increase to “catch up” with our utility fund requirements.

  1. Rate Study Explained
  1. Documents
  1. FAQ
  1. Tips for Reducing Your Bill

Contact Us

For questions about the rate increases and your bill, please contact our Utility Billing Division at 253-841-5550 or copbilling@puyallupwa.gov.

For questions about the Utility Rate Study, please contact our City Engineer, Hans Hunger, at hhunger@puyallupwa.gov.