Rate Modifications Fund Vital Infrastructure Improvements
- March 1, 2025 | Category: Board of Water Commissioners, Customer Service, Your Water
We’ve made it our mission to safeguard public health by providing a reliable, high-quality water supply at the best value. To accomplish this, we conduct annual studies to determine the revenue necessary to fund our 10-year Capital Plan, which serves as a roadmap for replacement of aging infrastructure, construction
of resilient facilities, and improvements in the facilities that store, treat and transport water to our approximately 150,000 customers.
Our 2024 study showed that rate changes are required to meet the revenue needs for these projects, and in December 2024, the Board of Water Commissioners approved water rate modifications for all groups served by our system. The modified rates go into effect March 1st, 2025, and include an increase of 15.4% for
retail customers. A typical charge for a single-family residential customer with a ¾″ meter and usage of 12,000 gallons is estimated to change by $5.62. We are fortunate that before and after the changes, our rates are still low compared with water providers across our state.
We have also sought alternative funding sources, such as Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) funding and Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grants. Like much of the infrastructure across the United States, parts of our water system are decades old—some over 100 years old—and need resiliency improvements, replacement, and maintenance so we can safely and effectively continue delivering water to the Rogue Valley’s growing population.
This funding strategy along with the direction of our Capital Plan allows our customers to benefit from significant cost savings and avoids some cost escalation and other impacts that would be experienced if these vital projects were delayed.
For a summary of the modified rates and schedules for all customer classes, effective March 1, 2025, click here or go to our Water Rates page. They average 15.4% for single-family residential customers in Medford with a 3/4″ meter and 12k gallons of usage, or approximately $5.62 per billing for average usage.