Birmingham Water Works Board Approves Rate Increase

Janae Pierre | November 26, 2019

 ========= Old Image Removed =========Array
(
    [_wp_attached_file] => Array
        (
            [0] => 2017/02/Birmingham_Water_Works.jpg
        )

    [_wp_attachment_metadata] => Array
        (
            [0] => a:5:{s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:306;s:4:"file";s:34:"2017/02/Birmingham_Water_Works.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:5:{s:6:"medium";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:34:"Birmingham_Water_Works-336x171.jpg";s:5:"width";i:336;s:6:"height";i:171;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:9:"thumbnail";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:34:"Birmingham_Water_Works-140x140.jpg";s:5:"width";i:140;s:6:"height";i:140;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:9:"wbhm-icon";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:32:"Birmingham_Water_Works-80x80.jpg";s:5:"width";i:80;s:6:"height";i:80;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:22:"wbhm-featured-carousel";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:34:"Birmingham_Water_Works-470x240.jpg";s:5:"width";i:470;s:6:"height";i:240;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:14:"post-thumbnail";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:34:"Birmingham_Water_Works-125x125.jpg";s:5:"width";i:125;s:6:"height";i:125;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:12:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";s:11:"orientation";s:1:"0";s:8:"keywords";a:0:{}}}
        )

    [_imagify_optimization_level] => Array
        (
            [0] => 1
        )

    [_imagify_data] => Array
        (
            [0] => a:2:{s:5:"stats";a:3:{s:13:"original_size";i:136468;s:14:"optimized_size";i:97280;s:7:"percent";d:28.719999999999999;}s:5:"sizes";a:8:{s:4:"full";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:62:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2017/02/Birmingham_Water_Works.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:70842;s:14:"optimized_size";i:47568;s:7:"percent";d:32.850000000000001;}s:9:"thumbnail";a:2:{s:7:"success";b:0;s:5:"error";s:77:"WELL DONE. This image is already compressed, no further compression required.";}s:6:"medium";a:2:{s:7:"success";b:0;s:5:"error";s:77:"WELL DONE. This image is already compressed, no further compression required.";}s:9:"wbhm-icon";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:68:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2017/02/Birmingham_Water_Works-80x80.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:3670;s:14:"optimized_size";i:3598;s:7:"percent";d:1.96;}s:13:"wbhm-featured";a:2:{s:7:"success";b:0;s:5:"error";s:77:"WELL DONE. This image is already compressed, no further compression required.";}s:20:"wbhm-featured-square";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:70:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2017/02/Birmingham_Water_Works-300x300.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:27242;s:14:"optimized_size";i:20300;s:7:"percent";d:25.48;}s:22:"wbhm-featured-carousel";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:70:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2017/02/Birmingham_Water_Works-470x240.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:34714;s:14:"optimized_size";i:25814;s:7:"percent";d:25.640000000000001;}s:14:"post-thumbnail";a:2:{s:7:"success";b:0;s:5:"error";s:77:"WELL DONE. This image is already compressed, no further compression required.";}}}
        )

    [_imagify_status] => Array
        (
            [0] => success
        )

    [_media_credit] => Array
        (
            [0] => 
        )

    [_navis_media_credit_org] => Array
        (
            [0] => Birmingham Water Works Board
        )

    [_navis_media_can_distribute] => Array
        (
            [0] => 
        )

)
1664191182 
1574786972

Birmingham Water Works customers will have slightly higher monthly water bills starting in January 2020. The Birmingham Water Works Board voted 5-1 Tuesday in favor of a 3.9% rate increase. Rick Jackson, spokesman for the Water Works Board, says the increase is necessary to maintain a viable water system and replace 100-year-old water mains.

“We want to make sure we’re providing the best, highest quality water possible to the people within our service area,” he says. “It takes a lot to continue to do what we’re doing and these are some hard decisions that our board is faced with sometimes.”

Jackson says the increase will affect about 200,000 households. The average household can expect to pay two dollars more per month.

The board increased rates by the same amount last year. Jackson says the water rates are comparable to cities of similar size. Water Works officials say upgrades to the system will take several years to complete.