Notice of Water Rate Increases Effective Jan 2024
The Lake Wenatchee Water District Commissioners adopted a 5 year rate schedule in 2019 in compliance with WA State law. The water rates were designed to meet the following revenue requirements: (1) provide operating reserves equal to 120 days of operating and maintenance expenses; (2) recover the revenues needed to operate the water system through the monthly base charge to keep pace with inflation; (3) add a volumetric usage charge that addresses the cost to pump and deliver higher levels of water; (4) provide funding for ongoing capital improvements including the costs associated with deferred repairs and maintenance and (5) provide funds for emergency reserves.
The revision to the existing 5 year rate plan to be adopted for 2024 is necessary to accommodate unanticipated inflation increases. This increase for 2024 will be implemented after Nov-Dec 2023 bills have been sent out and will apply to 2024 only. A new five year rate plan will be published late in 2024 for the next five year plan period (2025-2029).
Below is the new rate table. The revised 2020 rates will become effective on January 1, 2024 and will be reflected on the March 2024 water bills. The new rate structure will add another rate tier category for high volume consumers that should have no impact to average water district single family residence customer.
MONTHLY rate schedule billed every two months.
| CURRENT RATE SCHEDULE | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
| Base Charge per month | $42.00 | $44.00 | $46.00 | $48.00 | |
| Consumption Charge per gallon over 4,000 gallons (May-Oct) | $.0025 | $.0025 | $.003 | $.003 | |
| Consumption Charge per gallon over 30,000 gallons (May-Oct) | $.005 | $.005 | $.006 | $.006 | |
| REVISED 2024 RATE SCHEDULE | 2024 | ||||
| Base Charge per month | $52.50 | ||||
| Consumption Charge per gallon over 4,000 gallons | $.0035 | ||||
| Consumption Charge per gallon over 15,000 gallons | $.007 | ||||
| Consumption Charge per gallon over 22,500 gallons | $.0210 |
Why are the increases needed?
Lake Wenatchee Water District has been experiencing a water shortage that necessitated the emergency implementation of a temporary moratorium on new connections which will be removed Jan 1, 2024. Successful measures have been implemented to find and repair excessive leaks. Several other processes have been started or modified to mitigate a potential water shortfall, but the district recognizes risks still exist that could impede the delivery of potable water to all our customers when extended dry periods exist. Therefore, it’s possible this moratorium may need to be reinstated if conditions warrant.
In addition, because we have not changed the published rates during the first four years of the current five-year rate schedule, rising costs and the need to develop a new water source requires LWWD to take steps to increase its capital fund.
The impact of the change in demographics (rental properties) combined with spiraling inflation and the aquifer shortage exceeded our expectations. As a public entity, we are dedicated to ensuring that the price of water can be affordable to everyone. At the same time, the costs to deliver water and maintain our infrastructure have increased dramatically. The major emergencies that our system experienced this last year emphasized the need for adequate financial reserves to meet unexpected events. As costs rise, our rates must also rise to cover all costs of providing water.
Base rates are set to cover the district’s cost of treating and distributing water and maintaining adequate financial reserves. Consumption rates offset the costs of distributing higher levels of water use and encourage conservation as required by the Department of Ecology. The addition of another rate tier impacting higher consumption levels is designed to discourage overuse, especially in irrigation. Most single-family users won’t be impacted by this higher rate.
Included in the base rate will be 4,000 gallons per month. In previous years, additional water use above 4,000 gallons per month was billed per the current rate chart shown above for the months of May through October. Starting in 2024 meters will be read year-round to allow us to discover and repair water leaks when possible. Higher water use places greater demand on our water system and the updated consumption charge will help recover a portion of the costs of providing this water.
You are always welcome to attend the Commissioners meetings on the second Thursday of each month at 9:30AM at the Lake Wenatchee Fire Station 91.
Other Fees:
| Base Rate | $52.50 per month per residential customer (effective starting January 2024) |
| Notice of Delinquency (past due 120 days) | $25.00 |
| Lien Notice (past due 160 days) | $50.00 plus fees associated with filing |
| Service Disconnect | $50.00 |
| Service Reconnect | $50.00 |
| Tampering with Meter/Service Connection | $250.00 per incident |
| Meter/Vault Vandalism | $250.00 per incident |
| Check with Non-sufficient funds | $25.00 |
| New Connection Fee | $13,000.00 plus $2,000.00 meter and inspection costs |