PUC Reminds Consumers of Public Input Hearings Scheduled on Rate Changes Proposed by Pennsylvania American Water

PUC Reminds Consumers of Public Input Hearings Scheduled on Rate Changes Proposed by Pennsylvania American Water

Published on 1/12/2026

Filed under: Water and Wastewater

Newlocation in Chester County for January 29 hearings to gather public comments on proposed rate changes for water and wastewater service

HARRISBURG - The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) today reminded consumers and other interested parties about twelve in-person and telephonic hearings in January to gather public input on the proposed rate changes by Pennsylvania American Water Company (PAWC) for water and wastewater service.

Of important note is the change of location for the Chester County public input hearings scheduled for 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. on January 29, 2026 - with the new location being the Coatesville City Hall - City Council Chamber, 1 City Hall Place, Coatesville, PA 19320. The times for the Coatesville public input hearings on January 29 remain at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. Note: The hearings in Coatesville replace the previously announced hearings in New Garden Township.

Following is information on all the public input hearings.

In-Person Public Input Hearings

A total of ten in-person public input hearings will be held at the following locations and times:
(Note: Preregistration in not required for the in-person hearings)

• Tuesday, January 13, 2026 (Washington County)
  Crossroads Center
  Meeting Room G-16
  95 West Beau St.
  Washington, PA 15301
  Hearing #1 will begin at 1 p.m.
  Hearing #2 will begin at 6 p.m.
  
  
• Thursday, January 15, 2026 (Lackawanna County)
  Scranton University
  Brennan Hall, Fifth Floor
  320 Madison Ave.
  Scranton, PA 18510
  Hearing #1 will begin at 1 p.m.
  Hearing #2 will begin at 6 p.m.
  
  
• Friday, January 16, 2026 (Dauphin County)
  Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
  Keystone Building
  Hearing Room #1
  400 North St.
  Harrisburg, PA 17120
  Hearing #1 will begin at 1 p.m.
  Hearing #2 will begin at 6 p.m.
  
  
• Tuesday, January 20, 2026 (Berks County)
  Dunn Community Center - Upper Level
  4565 Prestwick Dr.
  Reading, PA 19606
  Hearing #1 will begin at 1 p.m.
  Hearing #2 will begin at 6 p.m.
  
  
• Thursday, January 29, 2026 (Chester County - Change of Location)
  Coatesville City Hall
  City Council Chamber
  1 City Hall Place
  Coatesville, PA 19320
  Hearing #1 will begin at 1 p.m.
  Hearing #2 will begin at 6 p.m.

NOTE: If you have any hearing exhibits to which you will refer during the Coatesville hearing, please email them to the Legal Assistant at [email protected] by 10 a.m. on Wednesday, January 28, 2026. The PUC Judges will forward your exhibits to the active parties.

Telephonic Public Input Hearings

Two telephonic hearings will be held on Wednesday, January 21, 2026, at the following times:
(Note: Preregistration is encouraged for the telephonic hearings)

• Wednesday, January 21, 2026
  Telephonic hearing #1 will begin at 1 p.m.
  Telephonic hearing #2 will begin at 6 p.m.

NOTE: Exhibits for the telephonic public input hearings must be received by the Legal Assistant by Monday, January 19, 2026.

Participating in the Telephonic Input Hearings

Individuals wishing to testify at a telephonic public input hearing are encouraged to pre-register by 4 p.m. on January 19, 2026. Failure to pre-register could result in you not being called to testify by the PUC Judges.

The call-in information for the two telephonic hearings is as follows:

• Toll-free Conference Number: 866-675-4281
• PIN Number: 85057514

To participate in a telephonic public input hearing, please complete the following:

• You must dial the toll-free Conference number above.
• You must enter the PIN number above when instructed.
• You must speak your name when prompted, and press #.
• Then, the telephone system will connect you to the hearing.

To pre-register, please email the PUC Judges' Legal Assistant, Sumathi Jayakumar Raj, at [email protected] or call the Judges' office phone at 717-787-4972 and provide the following information:

• Your first and last name.
• The hearing for which you are registering.
• The phone number you will be using to call into the public input hearing.
• A phone number where you can be reached prior to the hearing, if needed.
• Your email address, if you have one.

Assistance with Registration

If you need assistance pre-registering to testify, you may have someone register for you, but they will need to provide the PUC Judges with all the information listed above. Additionally, if more than one person in your household would like to testify, one person may pre-register for other individuals in the same household by providing the PUC Judges' Legal Assistant with the information for each individual planning to testify.

Requests for Interpreters

If you require an interpreter, please pre-register as soon as possible. If you register too close to the hearing date, we may not have enough time to arrange for an interpreter. If you request an interpreter, we will make every reasonable effort to have one present.

The TTY-based Telecommunications Relay Service number for persons who are deaf or hearing-impaired is 1-800-654-5988.

Offering Testimony at a Public Input Hearing

The PUC offers tips on how to participate in a public input hearing, including:

• Prepare what you are going to say beforehand. Even though it is not required, you may want to write out your statement, which can be read.
• Any formal testimony that is offered during the hearing will become part of the record on which the PUC will issue its final decision.
• Understand that parties in the case may want to ask you a question to clarify something you said.

Questions

Individuals needing assistance with pre-registration, or having questions about the public input hearing or the company's application, may contact the Pennsylvania Office of Consumer Advocate toll free at 1-800-684-6560 or by email at [email protected]. Small businesses can contact the Office of Small Business Advocate at 717-783-2525 or [email protected].

Other Ways to be Heard

If you want to be heard about the proposed rate increase but do not want or cannot testify at the public input hearings, you may file a formal complaint or comment on the proposed rate increase. Please visit the PUC's website to use the applicable form available.

Proposed Rate Changes

On December 4, 2025, the Commission voted 5-0 to suspend and investigate the proposed changes. PAWC serves approximately 682,000 water customers and 97,000 wastewater customers in 37 counties across the Commonwealth.

PAWC's proposes an overall increase of $168.7 million (approximately 14.6%) in total annual operating revenues for water and wastewater service. As proposed, PAWC customers would have seen the following rate changes:

• For a typical residential water customer using 3,263 gallons a month, an increase ranging from $2.73 per month to $27.77 per month, an increase between 9.8% and 41.14%, depending on their service area.
• For a typical wastewater customer using 3,164 gallons a month, an increase ranging from $0 per month to $26.29 per month, an increase between 0% and 54.14%, depending on their service area.
• For customers with combined stormwater and wastewater systems, an increase of approximately $20 per month.

A final PUC decision on PAWC's rate increase requests is due by August 13, 2026.

About the PUC

The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission balances the needs of consumers and utilities; ensures safe and reliable utility service at reasonable rates; protects the public interest; educates consumers to make independent and informed utility choices; furthers economic development; and fosters new technologies and competitive markets in an environmentally sound manner.

Visit the PUC's website at puc.pa.gov for recent news releases and video of select proceedings. You can also follow us on X, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube. Search for the "Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission" or "PA PUC" on your favorite social media channel for updates on utility issues and other helpful consumer information.

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Docket Nos:
R-2025-3057983
R-2025-3058051

Contact:

• Nils Hagen-Frederiksen
  Press Secretary
  717-418-2701
  [email protected]
• David Hixson
  Deputy Press Secretary
  717-772-2766
  [email protected]