WESTERN Water bills will rise by 12 per cent over the next five years.
The increase, revealed last week by Victoria’s independent economic regulator, the Essential Services Commission (ESC), means the average house owner in the catchment area will pay an extra $117 a year between 2013-14 and 2017-18.
The area includes Sunbury, Macedon Ranges, Moorabool and Melton.
An average bill will go up from $975 a year in 2012-13 to $1092 (plus inflation) in 2017-18.
The 12.3 per cent increase is higher than the $42 hike predicted in the commission’s draft report released in April.
Commission chairman Ron Ben-David said the increase was still lower than Western Water’s original proposal.
“While Western Water customers’ bills will be slightly higher than the draft decision, they will be significantly lower than the 36 per cent increase originally sought,” he said.
“The slightly higher prices are attributable to revised financial information. Even so, next year’s annual bills will be only $47 higher for a typical household, about half the $86 suggested by Western Water.’’
Western Water managing director Neil Brennan said the price rises would go towards meeting the needs of population growth and maintaining current water and sewerage services.
“We have worked with the ESC to keep price rises as low as possible while still meeting our obligations to provide customers with safe, healthy drinking water and effective sewerage services,’ he said. “Price rises are spread over five years in line with the feedback that Western Water receives from customers.”
