The North County Water District wants to raise its rates to $6.50 per 1,000 gallons sold.

The unsurprising move happened at the district’s April board meeting. It’s a response to rising costs, including debt service and a hike in the cost of the district’s water by its supplier, the city of Dunkirk.

The city recently raised the rate to $5.27 per 1,000 gallons sold, up from $5.16 per 1,000 gallons. There was a much higher increase in 2024, from $3.84 per 1,000 to $5.16.

Noting the latest rate increase from Dunkirk, water district board chairman Dan Pacos stated, “We need to set a new rate for our customers.”

Pacos said the district is also about to have a lot of debt service coming in, from its ongoing capital projects.

The current rate for North County Water District customers is $5.16 per 1,000 gallons. Pacos said about a dollar of the proposed hike was due to debt service. The rest is from rising operations and maintenance costs, including the city’s water sales rate increase.

The Chautauqua County Legislature must officially set the North County Water District water rate. The district board’s proposal last week is merely a recommendation.