A significant hike in rates may still be on the horizon for customers of Cascadia Water.

Earlier this year, the company announced a proposal for an incremental increase of 75%, which would raise $1.78 million in revenue for several infrastructure projects. Cascadia Water serves about 1,250 customers on Whidbey.

General Manager Culley Lehman previously said this includes the installation of standby generators on most systems to minimize service disruptions due to power outages, ongoing meter replacement to allow workers to more accurately track the water that is pumped throughout the system, and other improvements for different regional water systems on the island, such as the installation of a new reservoir.

The Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission, however, did not approve the proposal and instead decided to suspend the company’s tariff revisions during the commission’s June 27 meeting, according to a notice sent to Cascadia Water customers last week. The rate case was set for adjudication.

On Sept. 26, the company submitted testimony to raise rates but at a slightly smaller increase — $1,726,600, which is $62,193 1ess than the additional revenue that Cascadia Water sought in its Feb. 29 filing. If approved, the new rates would take effect May 1, 2025.

In its notice to customers, Cascadia Water included tables that show the impact of the increases, depending on the size of water meter. For example, a customer with a 5/8 meter size with an average monthly bill of $49.81 will experience a 101% increase, or pay $50.43 more.

Lehman said that the case is now in its customer comment portion. The Utilities and Transportation Commission plans to hold two hearings during which the public can comment on the increases virtually. The first is at 6 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 13 and the second is at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 14. Information on how to join the meeting via Zoom is available on the commission’s website, utc.wa.gov.

Comments can also be sent by visiting utc.wa.gov/consumers/submit-comment, emailing comments@utc.wa.gov, calling 1-888-333-9882 or mailing WUTC, P,O. Box 47250, Olympia, WA, 98504-7250.

Freeland resident Josh Courteau has been closely following the proposed rate increases, which will have a big impact on his family’s water bills.

“I know that they have infrastructure costs and they’ve said what they’re doing, but the factory still smells like rotten eggs sometimes,” he said.