Scott Firmin is general manager of Portland Water District.

Lately, there have been growing concerns in Maine and across the United States about the increasing cost of just about everything, including basics like housing, food, healthcare, electricity and fuel. Add to these conversations about “affordability” the cost of drinking water and wastewater services, which are becoming more expensive for consumers, and the potential for them to compound the affordability problem in the future. 

At Portland Water District, keeping water services affordable for our customers while sustaining the levels of service and quality we provide is one of our highest priorities and integral to our mission.

The Environmental Protection Agency suggests that drinking water and wastewater services may be considered affordable when they cost no more than 2% of a community’s median household income, each. Portland Water District’s water bill is far below that threshold at 0.60%, while Portland’s wastewater costs are 1.95%.

Many factors are putting upward pressure on water and wastewater rates, including energy and fuel costs, aging infrastructure, construction and labor expenses, weather impacts, efforts to reduce public exposure to PFAS (so-called “forever chemicals”), cybersecurity and the need to strengthen systems built a half century or more ago.

These growing needs often exceed the resources utilities like Portland Water District have to address them. A recent report commissioned by the American Water Works Association found that water utilities nationwide spend an average of $33.6 billion annually on capital needs but require an estimated $90.2 billion each year to meet projected infrastructure demands.

At Portland Water District, water main replacement is one example. Recent assessments indicate we should replace about eight miles of water main each year at an estimated cost of $40 million, compared with roughly $11 million spent today. Without increased investment, aging pipes will continue to deteriorate, and water main breaks are likely to become more frequent, disruptive and expensive. And water mains are only one part of a system that includes more than 430,000 assets supporting safe drinking water and wastewater services.

The consequences of delayed investment are also illustrated in “Unless Something Goes Terribly Wrong“, the documentary about Portland’s East End Wastewater Treatment Facility. Postponing investments does not eliminate costs — it often shifts them into the future, where they become more urgent, disruptive and expensive.

Maine’s aging water systems face a growing funding gap that could translate into sharply higher customer bills. After years of deferred maintenance, some rural districts across Maine have raised rates by more than 20% — and in some cases as much as 75% — to pay for long overdue needs.

Greater Portland’s water rates have increased 28%, or $7.02, over the last five years, bringing the typical monthly residential water bill to $32.12, and, depending on the municipality, between $51.66 to $95.91 for wastewater.

While no one wants to pay more, most seem able to absorb a planned, communicated rise in water costs, at least for now. For others with lower or fixed incomes, it can add to the already heavy burden.

The U.S. Congress is uniquely well positioned to help us close the financing gap by reauthorizing and fully funding the Drinking Water and Clean Water State Revolving Funds and the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act. These programs, which have long been underfunded, provide low-interest loans that utilities like Portland Water District use to accelerate water infrastructure investment and hold down costs for consumers. As it structures appropriations for the 2027 fiscal year, Congress has an opportunity to enable these financing tools.

Congress can also help by reestablishing the Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program, which helped qualified low-income Americans pay for their water service. Despite the real relief it provided to many Americans, this temporary program expired in 2024.

Safe, reliable water is not optional. It supports public health and safety, local businesses, housing, schools, tourism and Maine’s environment. Keeping it affordable and meeting the expectations and needs of our customers will require thoughtful rate design and investments, support for customers who need it most and a stronger federal commitment to the infrastructure beneath our communities.