Pluris customers beg state regulators to deny increases that could send water bills skyrocketing
Water bills for Pluris Wedgefield customers could soon go up more than 50 percent, but on Wednesday the community had a chance to try and stop those increases.
Pluris customers made their case at a meeting hosted by the Florida Public Service Commission at the Wedgefield Golf Club Restaurant.
Regulators have already approved interim rate hikes of over 20 percent for water and wastewater, but are weighing whether to approve an additional double digit rate hike.
The private utility provider wants an additional 48 percent increase for wastewater and a 67 percent increase for drinking water. It would mean an average monthly water bill for both services will be over $180.
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Residents say they’ve got quality and cost concerns. They are hoping state regulators will vote down the increase.
“We can’t drink our water. We don’t flush our toilets. We take showers every other day. They need to understand that there are people who simply cannot afford another rate increase,” said Sheila Mayhew, a Pluris Customer.
According to documents on file with the Public Service Commission, if the increases are approved, the current monthly water bill for a Pluris customer using 4 thousand gallons would go from $63.54 to $105.56. It would rise from $49.49 to $73.23 for a customer that uses 4 thousand gallons of wastewater.
Even without the rate hikes, Pluris customers are paying more for their water than their Central Florida neighbors.
A September report to Orange County Commissioners showed that the average Pluris customer already paid nearly double that of Orange County Utility customers.
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Pluris customers told state regulators they are being priced out.
“We’re on fixed incomes, many of us are retired, we cannot keep affording these increases,” said Mayhew.
Cost isn’t the only issue. People brought water filters and photos of stained appliances to the meeting as evidence. Many said they don’t trust the quality of the drinking water.
“I had to replace, the sinks I had to replace the water heater, I had to have my whole house replumbed because the water ate holes in the copper pipes,” said Pluris customer Dennis Marlow.
That sentiment echoed by many including longtime Wedgefield resident Leonora Magrosky.
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“I will not drink the water. My children will not drink the water. My grandchildren will not drink the water,” said Magrosky.
Pluris leaders attended the Wednesday meeting but wouldn’t answer any questions on camera.
Channel 9 followed up in an email and asked whether Pluris could assure residents that their drinking water was safe.
A spokesperson said in a statement, “Pluris Wedgefield water has been in compliance with all primary and secondary standards with all regulatory agencies and continues to be.”
A spokesperson also explained that the rate increases are needed to cover operational and maintenance expenses.
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Documents on file with the Public Service Commission elaborate further. According to those documents, Pluris’ last full rate case was in 2012. They also note that Pluris is requesting the rate increase in-part to help cover replacement needs for aging infrastructure.
Staff members with the Public Service Commission noted resident concerns on Wednesday and said they would take them into consideration ahead of making a recommendation to Public Service Commission board. A final decision on rates is expected in April.
Meanwhile, Orange County is still considering buying Pluris, but that could be over a year away.
The county is currently working on an appraisal assessment to determine costs for a purchase.
Findings of that assessment won’t be presented to Orange County Commissioners until the spring where next steps will be discussed.
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