📰BIDDEFORD-SACO | Maine Water Proposes Rate Increase
- 23 hours ago
- 4 min read
"If the proposed rate increase is approved it could go into effect by May 12, 2027"
May 6, 2026, Residents from Saco, Biddeford, and Old Orchard Beach, met this evening at Saco City Hall to testify in front of State of Maine Public Utilities Commissioners and representives from Maine Water, regarding a recent proposed increase of approximately 26% for water bills of residents in the Saco-Biddeford area.
Utilities Commissioner Philip Bartlett welcomed meeting attendees on behalf of the commission and expressed, "Tonight really is to listen to all of you... what we're doing is determining whether the rates requested are just and reasonable.... That's legal standard that we apply, and that has to become a perspective of both utility and from the customers, so your voice is important."
Several residents expressed concerns with the propsed rate increase citing raising costs of living and overall affordability issues in the country.
Notably, there were several individuals who also spoke in support of the rate increase citing stronger infrastructure needs.
Following the meeting, we spoke with Utilities Comissioner Phil Bartlett and asked him what he would say to local residents who felt they would not be able to afford the proposed increase.
Bartlett responded, "We certainly appreciate the testimony we heard tonight, and also encourage people to provide comments online ...We certainly understand the challenges that folks are facing with affordability, not just on the utility bills, but across all their expenses for gas prices.".
When asked the same question, President of Maine Water Mark Vannoy replied, "Two things - affordability is always front of mind for us as we go about our business... we look at ways to save costs, but we're also a very heavy infrastructure business - we have pipes that date from the 1800s... If we only do one percent of that, that's a hundred years before we replace all our pipes...it is a capital intensive business."
Vannoy goes on to explain, "What we have also done is provided an affordability program for those who qualify - we offer a 22% discount off the rate, and people need to be aware of that... folks can contact our customer service to sign up."
For your convenience, we have shared the meeting information provided for attendees below:
The Maine Water Company Rate Case Docket #2026-00028:
On April 13, 2026, The Maine Water Company filed a request with the Commission seeking approval of an annual revenue increase of $9,525,537, reflecting a return on equity of 9.90% and an overall rate of return on rate base of 7.23%. If approved as filed, the requested increase would result in a 29.3% increase in the company's test year revenues. Division-by-division rates can be found in the Commission docket #2026-00028, or at https://www.mainewater.com
This is the first general rate case since the Commission's approval of unified rates for the Company's 10 operating divisions The Maine Water Company reports continued progress on the unification of rates for metered customers. Under the current proposal, customers in four of the company's ten divisions would reach the target unified rate, while three additional divisions would be materially advanced toward that target.
The Water Industry in Maine:
The 152 water utilities in Maine include both investor and consumer-owned organizations Consumer-owned water utilities are water departments or districts, which are municipal or quasi-municipal entities governed by municipal officials or elected or appointed boards of trustees. In most instances, water utilities, whether investor-owned or consumer-owned, are created by private and special laws (charters) enacted by the Legislature. These charters establish corporate (territorial) limits, grant powers, define authority and responsibilities and specify other provisions and criteria which govern the administration and operation of the water utility.
The Commission is charged with oversight of the rates and services of water utilities. In 2025 the Commission docketed 72 new water cases, which included rate cases, issue of securities revisions of non-rate-related terms and conditions, infrastructure surcharge filings, and other requests.
Public Witness Hearings:
The Commission holds public witness hearings in selected proceedings to allow utility customers and interested parties to comment on a case. Testimony by utility customers at public hearings is an important part of utility ratemaking. You can make your comments under oath or not under oath. The Commission may give comments that are not made under oath less weight in the decision-making process but will hear and consider all comments and testimony. If you, or someone you know, decides later they would like to provide unsworn comments, you may do so on the Commission website at www.Maine.Gov/MPUC/
Case Developments and Next Steps:
A schedule for the case is available in the Commission's Case Management System under Docket No. 2026-00028 (Filing Item No. 15): https://tinyurl.com/y432tzry
At the conclusion of an adjudicatory proceeding, the Commission approves, approves with conditions, or denies the request. The decision is final when the final Order is issued. The Order is posted on the Commission website in the Case Management System. If the proposed rate increase is approved it could go into effect by May 12, 2027
If you have questions, please visit www.Maine.Gov/MPUC/ or call 207-287-3831.
If you have a complaint against the utility or need help with financial assistance, please contact the Commission's Consumer Assistance and Safety Division (CASD) at https://www.maine.gov/mpuc/consumer-assistance/contact or by calling 1-800-452-4699.
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