The Bangor Water District is proposing a 10.5% rate increase that could go into effect April 1 if approved.
The price hike would raise quarterly water bills by at least $6.84, Bangor Water District General Manager Chuck Harrison told city councilors last month.
The increase would help replace aging infrastructure after a record year for water main breaks. There were 73 main breaks in 2025, according to Harrison.
“The reason that we need to have a rate increase is so that we can maintain a robust water system. With that many main breaks this year, it was very taxing on us, but we are looking to replace as much pipe in the ground as we can,” he said.
The Bangor Water District is a quasi-municipal agency that provides water services to Bangor, Eddington, Hampden, Hermon, Orrington and parts of Clifton and Veazie, according to its website.
The rate hike would raise the minimum residential water bill to $71.95 per quarter. About 70% of customers pay the minimum price, Harrison said.
He listed improvement projects, rising costs for energy and workforce and cybersecurity concerns as reasons for the proposed increase, referencing recent cyberattacks on American water utilities.
The district’s oldest water main, on Cumberland Street, was installed in 1898, according to Harrison.
“We need to have more capital to be able to go and spend the money to replace those mains throughout the entire area, because that’s not the only place that we need to replace mains,” Harrison said.
The rate went up by 1.5% last year, according to a letter from the water district. Rates are set by the water district’s board of trustees and approved by the Maine Public Utilities Commission.
The board will hold a public hearing on the proposed increase at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at Bangor City Hall, according to the letter.
