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Durham officials propose modest water and sewer rate increases to fund major capital projects
Summary
City staff proposed an 8.5% overall rate increase for the water and sewer utility to cover operating costs, rising construction prices and a multi‑billion dollar capital program including the Jordan Lake project; staff said affordability programs and a hardship fund help lower-income customers.
Durham City officials on April 24 presented proposed water and sewer rates for fiscal year 2025–26 that would raise overall utility charges to support a multiyear capital program, rising construction costs and new treatment and supply projects.
Don Greeley, director of the Department of Water Management, told the Durham City Council that the utility faces large capital needs, notably a Jordan Lake intake, a new treatment plant and roughly 17 miles of pipeline that together are among the largest projects the utility has planned. “We expect that project to cost, when it's all said and done, close to a billion dollars,” Greeley said during the presentation.
Why it matters: The utility is proposing an 8.5% increase overall, with tiered volumetric charges intended to promote conservation. Greeley said the proposed rates are intended to protect affordability for the three lowest residential tiers while spreading borrowing and…
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