Birmingham Water Works Board Approves Rate Increase For 2022

BIRMINGHAM, AL — Customers of the Birmingham Water Works Board will pay more for water and sewer services in 2022. The BWWB approved a 3.9 percent rate increase Wednesday, according to a WBRC report.

Officials with the BWWB cite increased operating expenses as one of multiple factors that led to the rate increase. The board did not increase rates in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The board raised rates the same amount in November of 2019 to offset a budget shortfall of $1 billion.

The board has been under scrutiny for more than a decade now, as mismanagement of funds has been an issue. Most recently, Birmingham Water Works Board chairwoman Sherry Lewis was convicted in October of 2019 of two of the three ethics charges for which she was indicted in 2017.

Lewis was charged with using her position for personal gain, or for the gain of a family member, and voting on matters in which she or her family members had financial interest — including a no-show job for a family member, free meals, and other improper benefits.

According to the WBRC report, the rate increase for 2022 details include:

• Low-usage residential customers will see a decrease in the base charge fee ($26.26 to $25.92).
• This is part of what is referred to as a “lifeline” rate and includes those customers who use between 0-3 hundred cubic feet (Ccf) of water monthly.
• Overall, 65,000 or 39% of residential customers will see a decrease in their water bills.
• The average bill (6Ccf) will increase from $44.63 to $46.12 or $1.49 each month.
• Wholesale customers will see their rate decrease from $3.61 per Ccf to $3.42 per Ccf.

Read more about the Birmingham Water Works Board rate increase on wbrc.com.