El Paso Fares Well in State Rate Survey

El Paso Water Utilities’ water and wastewater bills compare favorably to those of other cities, according to the 2010 Texas Municipal League Water and Wastewater Survey. The survey incorporates data from Texas municipalities ranging from small townships to the state’s largest cities. Each respondent provided data on monthly water and wastewater bills for residential and commercial customers.

Texas Water Rates
The average bill for residential customers using 10,000 gallons of water is $44.65, significantly higher than the $25.20 paid by El Paso customers. El Paso also fared well when compared to Houston, San Antonio, Dallas and Austin – all cities with populations greater than 500,000. The average bill for customers using 10,000 gallons of water in the five largest responding cities is $32.

Monthly water bills for El Paso’s commercial customers are also lower than the average reported in the survey. In El Paso, the bill for commercial customers using 50,000 gallons of water is $162.68 compared to $207.73, the average bill for the rest of the state. The bill for the five largest responding cities averages $184.

Texas Wastewater Rates
Monthly bills for residential wastewater service in El Paso are also lower than the average reported in the survey. While El Paso customers pay $22.81 for 10,000 gallons in usage, the survey average is $31.53. The bills for the five largest responding cities average $40.

El Paso’s commercial wastewater customers pay $139.71 for 50,000 gallons of usage. While this is slightly higher than the $138.21 state average reported in the survey, it is markedly lower than the average bill for the same usage in the survey’s five largest cities, which is $206.

National Wastewater Rates
Water and wastewater rates did not increase for EPWU customers this year, which is contrary to a trend reported by the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA). The agency recently released a Service Charge Index that shows the average cost of residential wastewater service increasing 8.5 percent in 2009. This increase is the second highest recorded since 1986, according to NACWA. It outpaced the rate of inflation, which declined by 0.4 percent during the survey period.

The Service Charge Index shows the average annual cost for wastewater service is $346 for the nation’s single-family homes. This compares to $182 in El Paso.

NACWA predicts that annual charges will average $489 by 2014, an increase of 34 percent. Utility managers responding to the survey say additional revenue is needed to increase the level of service and address the issues of growth and aging infrastructure.

 Survey Presentation