WASHINGTON — The issue of skyrocketing D.C. water bills was front and center at the D.C. council meeting Friday as the council’s committee on the environment heard testimony from residents with dire concerns.
“It is not an understatement to say that this is catastrophic,” said Beverly Jackson, secretary of the board of directors at Capitol Park IV Condominium.
According to Jackson, the condo association’s water bill was $357,000 last year and is expected to be $520,000 by the end of next year.
“We object vehemently to the unfair way that D.C. Water collects funds,” Jackson said.
D.C. Water has faced criticism for charging property owners a fee for surfaces, such as sidewalks and rooftops, that can cause stormwater to run into storm drains, carrying pollutants with it.
Utility officials said the fee is necessary to pay for the D.C. Clean Rivers Project, a massive construction project meant to stop sewer overflows into the Potomac and Anacostia rivers and Rock Creek.
However, the fee is making it difficult for properties, such as the Rock Creek Cemetery, to afford water service.
“In 2008, we paid about $3,500 a year for our water use,” said Jim Jones with St. Paul’s Rock Creek Episcopal Parish, which runs the cemetery. “Now, Rock Creek Cemetery will pay about $230,000 annually. That’s a 6,471 percent increase in less than 10 years.”
Jones said the cemetery may need to close if rates continue to climb.
Councilmember Mary Cheh, who chairs the committee, urged D.C. Water to pay attention to such concerns.
“To pay the kinds of fees that are being imposed just strikes me as anomalous,” she said. “I don’t think it’s beyond the capacity of D.C. Water to figure out ways to soften the blow here in appropriate circumstances.”
D.C. Water said it is assessing the fairness of the fees.
According to the utility, the D.C. Clean Rivers Project is expected to cost nearly $3 billion with construction ongoing until 2030.
