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Central Ohio Consumers Facing 30% Sewer Bill Increase

by Office of the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel
February 7, 2026
Faucet with water dripping

The local public hearing in the Aqua Ohio rate cases ─ previously postponed due to severe weather ─ has been rescheduled for 5:30 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 9 at the New Albany Branch of the Columbus Metropolitan Library.

Aqua Ohio is a regulated water and sewer utility serving thousands of consumers in communities across Ohio, including residents of Franklin and Marion counties.

The utility is asking the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) to approve significant rate increases. Under Aqua’s proposal, some Franklin County consumers could see their monthly sewer bills increase by approximately $17 a month, or more than $200 per year – an increase of roughly 30% for certain consumers.

Additional details are available in Office of the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel (OCC) consumer alerts linked below.

A map of regulated water and sewer service areas in Ohio is attached. Aqua Ohio’s service territories are marked in blue. S

OCC Encourages Consumers to Make Their Voices Heard

Consumer comments and testimony become part of the official case record and must be considered by the PUCO commissioners.

Speak at a Local Public Hearing

The most effective way for consumers to share their concerns is to speak at a local public hearing or the virtual hearing. Public hearings allow consumers to present their views directly to at least one of the Commission’s five members.

Rescheduled Local Public Hearing

Submit Comments Online

Consumers may submit written comments by clicking ‘File a Public Comment’ on the case docket pages:

Submit Comments by Paper Mail

Instructions for submitting comments by mail are included in OCC’s consumer alerts linked below.

Statement Attributable to Consumers’ Counsel Maureen Willis, Agency Director of the Office of the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel:

“Aqua Ohio is seeking rate hikes that could push some consumers’ sewer bills up by about 30 percent. For many families, that’s not a small adjustment – it’s a serious financial hit on an essential service.

Before the Commission considers increases of this magnitude, consumers deserve a real opportunity to be heard, and Monday’s hearing is that opportunity.”

CASE INFORMATION AND OCC ADVOCACY
OCC Consumer Alerts:

Dockets:

OCC Testimony and Objections to the Staff Report in the Water Case:

OCC Testimony and Objections to the Staff Report in the Sewer Case: