Water Rate Increase Explained

INVESTING IN EVERY DROP

Our Rates Ensure Our Community’s Health

Every day, when you make coffee or wash your hands, you tap into a vital resource: water. The City of Bartow manages a water system of more than 200 miles of pipes and an 8.75 million-gallon-a-day Class A Lime Softening Water Treatment Facility to make that resource available to you every moment of every day. The City also maintains a wastewater system that gathers and safely transports our community’s wastewater to the City’s Water Reclamation Facility.

To ensure we can continue to provide safe, high-quality service to more than 26,000 residents and businesses across the city and parts of unincorporated Polk County, the City had to change what it charges for water and wastewater service.

Changes to What We Charge for Water

The City charges for water using an inclining block rate structure. This charge is based on the amount of water you use. Under this model, the cost per gallon increases as usage rises, which encourages conservation and ensures that high-water users contribute more to support the system’s additional capacity needs. This structure will remain the same.

About the Updated Water and Wastewater Rates

The City of Bartow needs to update utility rates to keep pace with rising costs and to fund essential water and wastewater projects. Since the last rate increase in 2015, our expenses have grown due to increased operating costs and the need to expand and upgrade infrastructure.

Beginning in January 2025, the typical customer using 6,000 gallons of water and wastewater per month saw an average increase of $7.42 on their bill per month over the previous rates. More modest annual rate adjustments will take place for the following years.

Example of monthly utility bill changes for an average customer who uses 6,000 gallons of water and wastewater per month:

• FY 2025 - Monthly increase of $7.42 for a total bill of $64.61
• FY 2026 - Monthly increase of $5.88 for a total bill of $70.49
• FY 2027 - Monthly increase of $2.47 for a total bill of $72.96
• FY 2028 - Monthly increase of $2.55 for a total bill of $75.51

Investing in Bartow’s Future

What Your Rates Cover

When you pay your utility bill, you’re not just covering the cost of the water you use or send down the drain. You’re also investing in the systems that provide reliable, safe service to our community 24/7. Here’s how it works:

• Purchasing and Transporting Water 
  • Before water reaches your tap, it needs to be purchased and passed through a complex system that treats and stores it. When it washes down your drain, it passes through miles of pipes to be treated at the City’s Wastewater Reclamation Facility before becoming energy at the Duke Energy-Hines Energy Complex.
• Maintaining and Replacing Our Critical Infrastructure 
  • As our water and wastewater systems age, parts need to be repaired or expanded. We work diligently to prioritize this work and strive to be as cost-effective as possible.

How the New Rates Stack Up

Even with an increase, Bartow’s rates still are more affordable than most nearby utilities, as shown in the chart below.