Bethesda-area households could see their water bills rise by $7.23 a month after the Montgomery County Council voted unanimously to allow WSSC Water to seek up to a 7% rate increase.

The council approved new spending control limits for the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) at its weekly meeting in Rockville on Tuesday, Oct. 27, Bethesda Magazine reported. The limits guide the utility as it drafts its annual budget. The proposed rate still needs final council approval in May.

Councilmember Evan Glass, who chairs the Transportation and Environment Committee, said the rate hike would help WSSC pay for $11.8 million in electrical upgrades at its Potomac filtration plant. A power outage there in September forced the utility to issue an essential-water-use-only advisory that lasted nearly two days and affected 1.9 million customers across Montgomery and Prince George's counties.

"It underscored some real vulnerabilities," Glass said.

The Potomac plant draws water from the Potomac River and supplies up to 75% of WSSC's customers. During a Sept. 30 media briefing, WSSC General Manager and CEO Kishia Powell said one of the plant's two electrical feeds was offline for scheduled maintenance when the other feed experienced what she called a "power blip."

Powell told the Transportation and Environment Committee on Oct. 12 that the plant and its power system are "aged."

"We're dealing with original equipment, and much of it is no longer supported by the manufacturers," Powell said.

Beyond the $11.8 million in electrical work already in WSSC's capital improvements program, Powell said the utility is planning three additional projects totaling $133 million to address other vulnerabilities in its aging facilities. Those projects are not yet funded.

How bills compare

The Prince George's County Council approved a lower ceiling on Oct. 20, a maximum 5% increase. That would translate to $6.19 more per month for the average residential customer, according to a Montgomery County Council staff report. Senior Legislative Analyst Keith Levchenko told the Montgomery County Council that it is not unusual for the two counties to set different maximums.

WSSC's fiscal 2027 budget included a 5% rate increase.

What happens next

WSSC must present a draft fiscal 2028 budget to the public by Jan. 15. The official budget request goes to both counties by March 1. The Montgomery County Council will take a final vote in May, and fiscal 2028 begins July 1.