By Paula Scott
Water seems like it ought to be an equal opportunity resource. You turn on the tap and use as much as you need, right? Ohio water prices are among the lowest in the country, but they vary greatly from town to town. You may hear complaints about the high cost of water in Ada, but compared to what? And why does our water cost what it does?
According to a 2019 Ohio EPA water survey, one of the lowest prices for water in Northwest Ohio was in Bowling Green at an annual average of $249 for usage of 7,756 gal/month or 1,037 cu.ft./month. The highest? Kelley’s Island at $1,893. The list below shows a range of price points in the area.
Bowling Green…..$249
Findlay…..…..……$358
Alger…..…..…..….$374
Kenton…..…..……$465
Lima…..…..…..….$510
Ottawa…..…..……$739
Ada…..…..…..…...NA ($738 in 2015)
Pandora…..…..….$790
Dunkirk…..…..…..$833
Russell’s Point…..$892
Bluffton…..…..…..NA ($1,047 in 2015)
Delphos…..…..….$1,191
Kelley’s Island…..$1,853
The 2019 average annual residential water rate in Ohio was $697. The 2019 survey is HERE.
Fiscal Officer Patty Navin explains the fixed costs of the Ada water system are:
- Operation and maintenance of the water plant and distribution process
- Costs for outstanding debt for the water plant and distribution system
- Capital costs to provide for new equipment and plant upgrades
She adds that the Village water and sewer operate like a business: “General fund monies should not support those endeavors. And we definitely cannot take any money from water and sewer and move it to the general fund.”
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Ada Village Administrator Jamie Hall explains that the village is supplied with water from three wells. He notes that well water and surface water sources have their own challenges: “Those [municipalities] with wells want a reservoir and those with a reservoir want wells.” He finds that “The nice thing about a well is it’s consistent.” No algae blooms.
The hardness level of the treated water in Ada’s distribution system is around 300 mg/L. The hardness average of the water coming in from the wells is around 600 mg/L. Water hardness impacts residents’ expenses for water softening and the effects of scale accumulation on plumbing and appliances.
In 2013 council enacted an annual water rate increase of 2%, but Hall explains that the chemical products used and the transportation costs for these chemicals are rising far faster than this annual adjustment.
Examples of 2023 Ada water system expenses are a $12K pump for one well and a $25K rehab project on another well. Keeping up with this routine maintenance every year is aimed at keeping expenses down, says Hall. The Ada administrator sums up the Village’s mission as being “to provide an affordable but safe and consistent service to the community.”
In a nutshell, the cost of a glass of tap water in Ada is more expensive than the state average, but there are many factors that determine the cost of water service, including economies of scale, water availability and quality, and infrastructure age and condition. What Ohio water customers have in common, according to the Ohio EPA survey, is that water prices are increasing faster than the rate of inflation–and have done so for the last 30 years.
