AUSTIN, Texas — For Pflugerville homeowners like Deborah Dahl, water does not flow so freely.
"Our water bill was well over $100 this month, I think $181 or something like that, and there's just two of us here," Dahl said.
Residents in Pflugerville will see an increase in their water charges starting this month.
For most average residential customers, monthly water prices will increase by $45.50, including $23 per month for standard water and $22.50 per month for wastewater services.
But why is this happening?
Brandon Pritchett, the utility director for the City of Pflugerville, said the City has four large capital improvement projects (CIP) that it is required to do to serve water and wastewater and it is costing more money, so the adjusted rates are needed to support the upgrades.
"One is a $150 million project, a second one is about $240 million, you know, another $150 [million] for a third. So we have four of our four projects of our CIP that are about $600 million. So those projects four years ago were about half that," Pritchett said. "Pflugerville is growing pretty significantly. We're just like every other community in Central Texas. And with the growth, we have to be able to provide water and wastewater services."
Still, Dahl worries about how the costs could affect other residents.
"I think that's what concerns me the most is that this is going to be a real hardship for some people and water is a necessity," Dahl said.
It is a necessity that will cost more starting this month.
Anyone seeking information about their respective water prices can do so online.