2024 Rate-Setting Design Process

Investing in Our Future 

WSSC Water provides our community with safe, clean water and returns that water to the environment in an ethical, sustainable, and financially responsible way. 

To keep pace with inflation and rising costs of providing safe, reliable water and sewer services, WSSC Water is conducting a financial planning and utility cost-of-service study of its water and sewer services. Since water and sewer rates fund our operations, maintenance, and critical capital investments, this is the first step to ensure that our rates are fair to our customers and will maintain a financially stable utility. 

WSSC Water’s rate structure will not change 

Our rate structure sets how we charge for water and sewer; we don’t expect this to change in the coming year. The current structure includes two main parts: 

• A fixed fee that is the same every three-month billing cycle. This pays for things like customer service and meter maintenance and provides us with a critical, reliable revenue stream. 
• Customers are also charged based on how much water they use. This is also known as the variable rate, which varies each billing cycle based on your water usage. Customers who use more water are charged more per unit than low-water users, allowing customers to keep bills affordable through water conservation and efficiency. 

It is best practice to evaluate rate-setting design regularly. WSSC Water last studied its rate-setting design in 2018, so it’s time to have another look.  

Our Goal 

The goal of the rate-setting design process is to ensure that the rates customers pay for water and sewer services are: 

• Fair, equitable, and aligned with community values priorities and affordability considerations
• Sufficient to ensure the continued financial viability of WSSC Water utilities 
• Sufficient to enable critical maintenance and infrastructure investment to continue high levels of service while complying with stringent regulatory requirements 
• Aligned with best practices and in accordance with state law 

The Rate-Setting Design Process

WSSC Water hired consultants with expertise in water and wastewater rate-setting design in Maryland and nationwide. The financial consultants’ scope of work includes developing long-range financial plans for utility services and assisting with the rate-setting design process and public meetings required for adopting new rates.  

Rate-setting design consists of a series of steps involving data evaluation, performing technical analyses, deriving customer rates, and understanding the impacts to customers of any modifications. Once proposed changes to the rates charged for water and sewer service are determined, the complete studies are documented in a report to serve as part of WSSC Water’s administrative record. 

Financial consultants and WSSC Water leadership are now evaluating data and technical analyses to determine recommendations to enhance financial stability and ensure fairness to customers while considering the affordability and customer impacts of any rate modifications.  

How Customers Can Stay Involved 

The public is encouraged to follow the rate-setting design process and learn more about your water and sewer services.  

Please join us at WSSC Water special rate-setting meetings and budget public hearings listed below to learn how rates are determined and how the rates you pay are an investment in our critical infrastructure.  

Any modifications to WSSC Water’s rates will be discussed and approved by the WSSC Water Commissioners at a special meeting on January 30, 2024. Proposed changes would then be implemented on July 1, 2024. 

Stay Connected

As WSSC Water conducts its water and wastewater rate-setting design process, we invite the community to learn more and provide input. Submit comments and questions via email to BudgetGroup@wsscwater.com.