Residents in James City County shouldn’t be surprised to see their water bills higher than usual during this billing cycle.
Over the course of November, a number of residents took to social media to post complaints and confusion about their water bills, which were higher than normal. On a post in Williamsburg News & Notes, some residents said they had seen their bill increase three times the normal rate.
But, this isn’t a mistake.
Doug Powell, general manager for the James City Service Authority, said it’s typically for JCSA to receive more questions than normal from customers this time of year.
There are a few reasons the bills are higher.
First, since JCSA functions on a quarterly billing cycle, there are a lot of customers who are only just now receiving bills that are for their summer use, when they could’ve been doing activities that require more water such as irrigation.
Secondly, JCSA initiated a rate increase that was effective July 1, 2019. Powell said customers were notified of the increase through a note on their bills before the increase.
“Comparing [2019] to [2020] rates, the total monthly water and sewer bill for JCSA services for a typical 5,000 gallons per month residential user increased by $3.10 per month from $38.95 to $42.05,” Powell wrote in an email.
Powell added that the JCSA water and sewer bill is the second lowest in Hampton Roads for a typical 5,000 gallons per month residential user.
