Water, sewer rates set to rise as Bellingham discusses infrastructure needs
Water and sewer rates are set to rise sharply for Bellingham residents as the city replaces underground pipes, build reservoirs, replace pumps and comply with environmental rules related to nitrogen discharge into Bellingham Bay.
All told, the water and wastewater projects could add up to more than $1 billion over the next 20 years, according to city officials.
City Council members are set to discuss the proposed new rates, along with reduced fees for lower-income residents, when the Budget and Finance Committee meets at 1:40 p.m. Monday. A vote on the measure could come when the full council meets at 7 p.m. Monday in City Hall, 210 Lottie St.
“These rate changes would allow the city to make essential upgrades to our aging infrastructure, ensure our systems stay reliable into the future, and fund critical improvements like enhanced solids handling at the Post Point wastewater treatment plant. Your utilities protect public health and our environment, and new investments are necessary to continue providing dependable utility service for years to come,” Bellingham spokeswoman Melissa Morin said in the city’s weekly newsletter.
Residents could be paying about 13% more per month on their combined utility bills for the next two years, followed by rate hikes of about 10% in 2028 and 2029, then annual price increases of a little less than 6% in each of the five years after that, to agenda information for Monday’s meetings.
That means that an average residential water bill could rise from the current $135 a month to $152 a month in 2026, $286 in 2035 and $417 month in 2045, according to Carollo Engineers, a Seattle firm that was hired to examine the city’s water system needs for the next 20 years. Such a plan is required by state law every 10 years.
When City Council members got their first look at possible rate increases, they asked city officials to study reduced rates for low-income residents. Discounts of 25%, 50% and 75% are being proposed based on family size and income for those earning less than 80% of the area median income, according to Monday’s agenda.
For a family of four, that’s $86,700, according to the Opportunity Council.
This story was originally published July 4, 2025 at 10:53 AM.
