GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Heads up, Brown County residents: The next time you get your water bill, you may notice it’s a little more expensive than usual.
Starting this month, sewer and storm water rates are going up for those living in Brown County.
Jan. 1 marked the start of a 6.6% sewer water rate increase for 15 area municipalities. All of them are customers of NEW Water, the brand of the Green Bay Metropolitan Sewerage District.
“NEW Water is in the business of wastewater conveyance treatment, protecting not only the environment, but public health. We need to make sure that that wastewater is conveyed and treated appropriately,” NEW Water Executive Director Nathan Qualls said.
The 6.6% increase equates to about a $1.68 increase per month for an average household. Qualls said the hike is necessary to pay for projects like new pipes and wastewater facility improvements. One example is the sewer pipe replacement project in downtown Green Bay that began this summer.
“We need to stay ahead of infrastructure issues as they age, because we can’t afford to have a failure of a major infrastructure or a facility like us,” Qualls said.
Qualls said many of the pipes have been in the ground since the 1930s.
While NEW Water is increasing its rates, individual municipalities are then tasked with setting their own rates for customers. In other words, rate increases may vary depending on where you live.
In Green Bay, sanitary sewer rates are seeing a 2.84% increase, or about $5.39 per quarter.
“For the sanitary sewer, that is really our cost of just operating to ensure that we’re taking care of our system so that you don’t have problems at your home,” Green Bay Director of Public Works Valerie Joosten said.
Green Bay stormwater rates are seeing about a $5 quarterly increase to residents. In Ashwaubenon, storm water rates are going up by 10% and sewer rates are increasing by 20%. That’s a significant change from 2025 when it was just 9%.
Director of Public Works Brian Rickert said the rise in prices is necessary to keep everything running smooth.
“We want to be responsible in making sure that we’re not having multiple water main breaks on a given road. Get to those items before they’re past their useful life,” Rickert said.
NEW Water said sewer water rate increases are part of the 10-year facility plan that began in 2021. The company says sewer rates will again rise in 2027 between 5.5% and 7%.
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