Water Rate Hikes Coming to Three Connecticut Towns, Agency Warns

Connecticut’s Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) just approved a $4.8 million annual revenue requirement for Hazardville Water Company, covering the 2026-2027 rate year. That means higher bills are coming for customers in Enfield, Somers, and East Windsor.

This ruling followed a long, 260-day investigation. Public hearings, audits, and a mountain of filings all played a part as regulators tried to balance reliability, service quality, and affordability for smaller water utilities across Connecticut.

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What the PURA decision means for Hazardville and its customers

The approved revenue requirement gives Hazardville Water Company a framework for covering its operating costs and earning a return on equity (ROE). PURA set the ROE at 9.5% and changed fixed charges and usage rates for both residential and nonresidential customers.

PURA said the average residential bill will go up by about $5.51 per month. Most customers get billed quarterly, so the increase will show up every few months.

This rate package includes changes in cost allocation, customer service expectations, and water-quality safeguards. The goal? Keeping a reliable water supply flowing for the three towns Hazardville serves and for nearby communities that depend on similar utilities.

Key figures behind the approved rate adjustment

Let’s look at some numbers from PURA’s order and testimony:

Revenue requirement: $4.8 million for April 1, 2026, to March 30, 2027
Return on equity: 9.5%
Customer base: roughly 7,500 customers
Water production: 481.3 million gallons in 2024 from 11 active wells
Billing impact: average residential bill up $5.51/month
Rate year window: April 1, 2026–March 30, 2027
Rate changes: revised fixed charges and usage rates for residential and nonresidential customers

Hazardville’s leaders had asked for a bigger increase—$5.9 million and a 10.6% ROE. PURA went with a smaller plan, weighing what customers can handle against what the utility needs to keep things running.

Process, public input and oversight

PURA’s staff attorney described the process as thorough and pretty exhausting. It stretched out for almost two years and included formal public comment hearings, an on-site audit, engineering inspection, and a flood of paperwork—over 200 interrogatories and three days of in-person hearings.

Eight customers spoke up at a virtual hearing in November 2025, all against the increase. The Office of Consumer Counsel stepped in to represent ratepayers.

PURA’s ruling says the decision covers not just cost allocation but also customer service and water-quality issues. It also calls for more routine rate filings to make things a bit easier for small utilities like Hazardville.

Connecting Hazardville to a broader Connecticut regulatory landscape

This case is part of a bigger trend of rate regulation across Connecticut. In ENFIELD, Somers, and East Windsor, residents will feel the impact of these changes firsthand.

Other towns—Hartford, Manchester, Windsor Locks, Glastonbury, Vernon, Simsbury, Waterbury, and New Haven—are watching closely to see how PURA balances reliability with keeping things affordable. The ruling points to a statewide push for more predictable, regular filings and ongoing oversight to protect ratepayers in both suburban and rural Connecticut.

Places like Norwalk, Bridgeport, and Stamford are dealing with aging water systems and changing regulations, too. Everyone’s trying to keep up as expectations shift and infrastructure gets older.

Contextual note: Aquarion’s transfer and what it could mean down the line

PURA just cleared the last regulatory hurdle for Aquarion’s $2.4 billion transfer from Eversource to a regional nonprofit. State officials think this move might slow future rate increases, but it probably won’t stop them altogether.

Hazardville’s rate case is pretty local and specific. Still, Connecticut keeps pushing for more accountability and regular rate reviews as part of its ongoing effort to modernize utility funding and supervision—especially for smaller companies.

If you live in Enfield, Somers, East Windsor, or anywhere nearby, here’s what matters: the cost of clean, reliable water really depends on steady oversight and careful pricing. More routine filings and public input are likely on the way as agencies try to balance what customers need in Hartford, New Britain, Norwich, and the rest of Connecticut.

Here is the source article for this story: Residents of three CT towns to see increase in water cost. Agency notes possibility for ‘rate shock’

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