Water Rate Increase Approved

ORLEANS – New water rates adopted by the select board last week will help finance a number of future water department projects.

On June 18, the board unanimously voted to adopt rates for fiscal 2026 that are a 5 percent increase from the current fiscal year. The new rates go into effect in July and will be reflected on property owners’ quarterly water bills in October.

Assistant Water Superintendent Susan Brown said the higher rates are estimated to generate approximately $148,000 in additional revenue for the water department for fiscal 2026. With the new rates, property owners can anticipate an average increase of about $11 in their water bill for the period from July through September, when water usage is typically highest. 

There was no increase in the water rate for fiscal 2025. But Brown said with a number of water-related projects coming up, the increase for the new fiscal year will “buy (the water department) a few more years.”

Among upcoming projects are improvements to the town’s 25-year old water treatment plant, and aging water mains also need to be replaced, she said. Select board Chair Kevin Galligan noted that the water department responded to a water main break the day before the meeting, June 17.

Brown said there is also a need to address aging hydrants, some of which have lead paint on the outside. The board of water and sewer commissioners plans to prepare a replacement plan for the hydrants, she said.

Looking beyond fiscal 2026, Mefford Runyon of the select board advocated for a rate structure that incentivizes water conservation over usage. But Brown presented data at the June 18 meeting that showed how most property owners fall below the median of water usage quarterly.

“We have an awful lot of people that use very little water,” she said.

Galligan noted that under the town charter, water rates cannot increase more than 5 percent from one year to the next without town meeting action.

Meanwhile, mandatory water restrictions are in place in town in light of significant drought conditions across Cape Cod. The restrictions, which the water and sewer commissioners approved in March, limit outdoor watering to two days per week outside between the hours of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Additional restrictions apply to the use of lawn, garden and shrub irrigation via sprinklers and/or automatic systems; washing of vehicles except at a commercial car wash or when needed for safety; and the washing of exterior building surfaces, parking lots, driveways or sidewalks.

“These measures are essential to protect our water resources during what is expected to be a dry season,” the water department wrote in a notice posted to the town website.

Fiscal Year 2025
Basic Service: $55 per quarter

0 to 10,000 gallons: $2.90 per thousand gallons

10,001 to 20,000 gallons: $7.50 per thousand gallons 

Over 20,000 gallons: $8.75 per thousand gallons

Basic Service: $57.75 per quarter

0 to 10,000 gallons: $3.05 per thousand gallons

10,001. to 20,000 gallons: $7.88 per thousand gallons

Over 20,000 gallons: $9.19 per thousand gallons