SLC water bill looking a little high? Here’s why

SALT LAKE CITY — New, higher water bills, up hundreds of dollars in some cases, have a lot of people in Salt Lake City asking questions.

Salt Lake City Public Utilities did two things to create these higher costs.

First, it increased rates by 4%. Second, it added a new fee, based on meter size.

That all went into place in July and for many people it really added up.

The reason behind SLC water bill increases

Public Utilities Deputy Director Jesse Stewart said they’re dealing with the same inflation as every other industry.

“It’s that cost to treat the water, convey the water, and then take it back into the sewer system and treat it again before putting it out into the environment.”

“We’re looking at it so that we can maintain our cost of service and maintain our level of service as we go forward,” he said.

Stewart said they have a new tool on the Public Utilities website where you can watch your meter in real-time, so you aren’t surprised when the bill shows up.

Stewart also suggested going to the Public Utilities website to learn more ways to save water.

Related: One Utah city will offer prizes to get people to conserve more water