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Louisville Water balances inflation with commitment to high-quality drinking water
The Board of Water Works, the governing body for Louisville Water Company, recently approved the company’s 2023 budget, which includes a small increase in the cost of drinking water.
Beginning January 1, 2023, the average monthly bill for a Louisville Water residential customer will increase by $1.10. This means a customer who uses an average of 4,000 gallons of water a month can expect to pay $26.88.
Inflation is a driving factor for the increase. Louisville Water has received unusually large contract increases and bid quotes for many of the necessary products used to produce and deliver drinking water. For example, bids or contract renewals for chemicals to help treat the water have increased 33%, water main materials made of ductile iron have increased 30%, and copper tubing prices 51%.
“As an anchor in this community for public health, we cannot compromise the quality and reliability of our drinking water, “said Spencer Bruce, President and CEO of Louisville Water. “Like many other businesses, we’re managing through inflationary pressures, but we’ve worked to minimize the impact on the cost of our water.”
Louisville Water recognizes that sometimes customers struggle to pay their bill and is committed to providing help. The 2023 budget includes continued support for Drops of Kindness℠, the customer assistance program managed through the Louisville Water Foundation.
The Foundation provides more than $340,000 of direct bill relief annually to thousands of customers.
A Continued Investment
Louisville Water’s 2023 capital budget is $117 million and most of these funds go towards maintaining and installing infrastructure and new technology. Some of the projects include:
- Funding for more than 40 projects to replace older, smaller-diameter water mains
- Improving the filters and pump station facilities at the Crescent Hill Water Treatment Plant
- Designing infrastructure to deliver additional water to Bullitt, Nelson, and Hardin counties to support the growth from Ford’s electric battery plants and the expansion of bourbon distilleries
- Continuing to upgrade water meters and transition thousands of additional Jefferson County customers to monthly billing
A Regional Impact
Louisville Water projects the region will need 33.6 billion gallons of drinking water in 2023, roughly the same amount as 2022. Louisville Water’s service area includes customers in Louisville Metro, Oldham, and Bullitt counties. The company has partnerships with nine other water utilities in Bullitt, Hardin, Nelson, and Spencer counties that purchase drinking water.
