Water rate review

Water rate review and what it means for you

Water is part of everyday life, and it takes a lot to get it from the source to your home or business. Whether you're starting the morning with a cup of coffee or cooking dinner for your family, we're focused on making sure your water is there for you.

Safe, reliable and affordable drinking water is a universal need an even more precious in the desert. We've balanced the different needs and desires of our customers with our most critical responsibility – ensuring that safe, clean, reliable and affordable drinking water will be there when you need it.

The rate review process takes more than a year – the application was filed in 2020 and the ACC issued its decision in January 2022.

Important documents​​

Rate review application

How rates are set

Current rates are outdated and don't adequately reflect how much operating costs have changed – like purchasing power to deliver the water, or what has been needed to maintain, fix and replace the system.

The ACC makes the decision on what rates should be after a long and careful review of the information and costs in a rate case. Find out how the rate case process works.

Arizona Corporation Commission public comment sessions

The ACC has scheduled telephonic public comment meetings:

• Wednesday, February 17, 2021 – 6 to 8:30 pm
• Monday, March 22, 2021 – 10 am to 1 pm

To provide telephonic public comments, call 1-866-705-2554 and enter this code: 241497#

The ACC has set a three-minute time limit per speaker to maximize the number of callers who have an opportunity to speak. That time limit may be extended by the presiding Administrative Law Judge. There may be a significant wait time to speak, and callers will be muted until it is their turn to speak.

Each telephonic public comment meeting will end when the last caller on the telephone line has had an opportunity speak or the designated end time, whichever occurs first. Click here for full details on how to attend and participate.

Virtual community meeting

EPCOR hosted a series of virtual community meetings:

Potential scenarios to unify districts

We continue to believe unifying our customer groups – thoughtfully and gradually – remains the best long-term solution for all customers. Our customers have very diverse thoughts on this – some want to move forward now. Others don't. We believe the various scenarios in this application balance those differences and provide the framework for an open and constructive discussion with the ACC.

In many ways, water districts are already run as a single group. Water service and customer service is the same, no matter where a customer lives. Many things that go into providing service – engineering, billing and customer service, purchasing materials and supplies, water quality and safety and personnel training, for example – are the same no matter where we provide. And, many of our districts are already joined together.

Aging water systems are also very real issue for communities. To make sure water is there when you need it – and that's safe to use – we must maintain, fix and replace the wells, pumps, pipes and treatment facilities that bring your water to you. Every district needs repairs and replacements – that's going to fluctuate year to year, and from place to place. Sometimes there will be a significant amount of infrastructure work all at the same time across many different service areas.

Ultimately, any changes rest on what the ACC believes is in the best interest of customers. We've presented five different scenarios for the ACC to consider, but until the ACC makes a decision these are simply example scenarios and nothing more.

There's a lot more to water than turning on the tap. The best way to protect customer affordability is to bring them together.

Customer Assistance Programs

We know every customer is unique. That's why we're requesting renewed approval of assistance programs already available to our Arizona water customers.

Low income assistance

Water customers who meet the eligibility requirements, no matter where they live, can apply for a $10 monthly credit on their bill.

Deployed military

The Deployed Service Member Credit recognizes the service and sacrifices of our armed services men and women, waiving the water bill for active duty men and women away from their homes on temporary deployment.

Disabled military veterans

The Disabled Military Veterans Credit provides eligible veterans a credit of $10 a month.

Note: Customers, if eligible, can receive more than one of the assistance programs.

Conservation and Water in a Desert

Customers control their bills – the less water used, the lower the bill.

A larger family would likely use more water than a smaller one, but not in every case. Sometimes customers with no children use more water because of the kind of landscaping they have. Some homes have older, less-efficient water fixtures than others. Roughly 70% of water used in Arizona goes outdoors to landscaping, pools and other uses.

Every customer's bill is unique to their own home or business. In Arizona, the average home uses 7,000 gallons of water each month. Some people use less, but some people use much more.

It's a statewide mandate in Arizona to conserve water – rates are designed to encourage conservation. The base rate tier generally covers the basic amount of water needed – using more than that is based on individual choices and lifestyles. The more water you use, the more it costs.

Our job is to provide your service – it's your decision how much water you use.

Learn more about the value of water.

Safety, Reliability and Infrastructure

Aging water infrastructure is a national, trillion-dollar issue. It's also a local issue. To keep your service reliable and your water quality high and safe, we must maintain, fix and replace the wells, pumps, pipes and treatment facilities that bring it to you.

Over the next 10 years, EPCOR needs to spend more than $767 million to keep our water systems operating at a safe and reliable level. And the costs to purchase surface water, and to power the plants and systems that treat and deliver it to you, are increasing. A larger customer base can spread these costs out, helping customers by keeping future changes to customers' bills smaller.