Water Costs May Go Up in North Reading

The North Reading approved a 2.5% water rate increase earlier this month, but North Reading residents may need to pay much more if the Town of Andover goes through with increasing water costs for North Reading. 

North Reading gets most of its water from the Town of Andover. Andover selectmen are looking to increase what it charges North Reading because they believe North Reading is profiting from water it buys from Andover. North Reading officials say that’s not true, reported the Eagle-Tribune.

The Town of Andover may increase North Reading’s water cost from $3 per cubic feet (748 gallons) to about $3.75 per 100 cubic feet of water. North Reading residents pay about $1,000 annually for water, while Andover residents only spend about $350 a year, according to the Eagle-Tribune.

Faced with the rate increase, North Reading, which gets about 1.5 million gallons of water daily from Andover, may transfer over to the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority instead. This move would mean Andover losing about $1 million a year in lost revenue, reported the Eagle-Tribune. 

Read the full Eagle-Tribune article here.