Missouri American Water Seeks Another Rate Adjustment for Infrastructure Costs

Missouri American Water has filed a request with the Missouri Public Service Commission (PSC) to increase its Water and Sewer Infrastructure Rate Adjustment (WSIRA) surcharge. This new request, if approved, would allow the utility to recover costs for specific completed infrastructure projects that occur between its larger, comprehensive rate cases.

For residential water customers in the Joplin area, the proposed WSIRA charge would rise from approximately 80 cents to about $1.10 per 1,000 gallons used. Under this adjustment, a customer using 4,500 gallons of water monthly would see their bill increase by roughly $1.31 per month. Officials with the company have stated that while this filing seeks to increase annual water revenues by about 2.5% and sewer revenues by about 0.5%, it does not mean every customer’s entire bill would increase by those exact percentages.

The funds from the WSIRA are designated to cover qualifying projects essential for maintaining and upgrading the utility’s system. These projects include replacing aging water and sewer lines, valves, hydrants, meters, pumps, and other critical infrastructure necessary for reliable service.

This latest WSIRA request is separate from a more extensive general rate increase Missouri American Water filed on July 1. In that broader filing, the company is seeking approximately $191.9 million in additional annual base-rate revenue. If that larger request were approved as originally submitted, the company estimates that the average residential water customer, also using 4,500 gallons per month, would pay about $15 more monthly.

Because of the separate nature of these filings, the new WSIRA request has the potential to impact customer bills before the larger general rate case, filed in July, is resolved. However, the WSIRA charges are not designed to compound indefinitely with base rates. Missouri law mandates that the WSIRA be reset to zero when a new general rate case takes effect and the qualifying costs covered by WSIRA are incorporated into the utility’s new base rates.

Both the current WSIRA request and the general rate case filed in July are currently under review by the Missouri Public Service Commission. The PSC’s review process involves public input and detailed examination of the utility’s proposals.

Residents interested in providing feedback on the new WSIRA request can contact the PSC directly by calling 800-392-4211, emailing [email protected], or submitting comments through the commission’s website. When making comments, reference Case No. WR-2027-0038. For those seeking to formally intervene as a party in this new case, the deadline is Oct. 7. The Missouri Office of the Public Counsel also accepts comments and can be reached at 866-922-2959 or [email protected].

Comments regarding the separate July general rate increase should reference Case No. WR-2026-0304.