Media Release – December 2025.
HARRISBURG, PA – The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) on Thursday, December 4, 2025, voted to suspend and investigate proposed rate increases by Pennsylvania American Water Company (PAWC) for both its water and wastewater service. PAWC serves approximately 682,000 water customers and 97,000 wastewater customers in 37 counties across the Commonwealth.
The Commission voted 5-0 to investigate PAWC’s proposed overall increase of $168.7 million (approximately 14.6%) in total annual operating revenues for water and wastewater service. As proposed, PAWC customers would have seen the following rate changes:
- For a typical residential water customer using 3,263 gallons a month, an increase ranging from $2.73 per month to $27.77 per month, an increase between 9.8% and 41.14%, depending on their service area.
- For a typical wastewater customer using 3,164 gallons a month, an increase ranging from $0 per month to $26.29 per month, an increase between 0% and 54.14%, depending on their service area.
- For customers with combined stormwater and wastewater systems, an increase of approximately $20 per month.
Based on today’s action by the Commission, the rate increase request is now suspended for up to seven months from the proposed effective date of Jan. 13, 2026, and will be assigned to the PUC’s Office of Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) for investigation and recommended decisions.
The ALJ’s investigation will include public input hearings to gather testimony from concerned consumers and interested stakeholders. Dates, times and locations for those hearings will be detailed in future PUC press releases. More information on the ratemaking process is available on the Commission’s website.
A final PUC decision on PAWC’s rate increase request is due by August 13, 2026.
About the PUC
The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission balances the needs of consumers and utilities; ensures safe and reliable utility service at reasonable rates; protects the public interest; educates consumers to make independent and informed utility choices; furthers economic development; and fosters new technologies and competitive markets in an environmentally sound manner.
