Baltimore residents will see a 9 percent jump in their water and sewer bills beginning Thursday, the first in a series of increases planned for the next five years.
The city Board of Estimates voted Wednesday to approve the rate increase to help fund repairs to the city's pipes, the majority of which are more than 65 years old.
The typical family of four would pay about $80 more next year under the new rates, said Kishia L. Powell, who directs the water and wastewater division of the city's Department of Public Works.
The measure is expected to produce $16 million in revenue. The city is facing $1.8 billion in improvements because of tougher federal standards and crumbling infrastructure.
The city loses about a fifth of its drinking water to leaks and water main breaks, Powell said. She said there have been more than 5,000 breaks in the city and surrounding counties over the past five years.
City Council President Bernard C. "Jack" Young voted against the rate increases, saying residents would already be burdened by the host of new taxes proposed to help stem the city's $121 budget shortfall. He said the city should more aggressively seek federal funds instead.
Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, who controls three of the five seats on the board, said the city must make the improvements now to prevent more water main breaks in the future.
"We've seen the pictures from Owings Mills. We've seen the pictures from Dundalk," she said, referring to breaks that caused dramatic — and costly — flooding. "We can't keep seeing that."
Anne Arundel, Howard and Carroll counties, which use water supplied by the city, are expected to raise water rates by 9 percent as well. Baltimore County, which is also dependent on city water, is slated to increase its rates by 10 percent.
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