Frequently Asked Questions
Who is "Fight the Hike?"
A coalition of citizens and businesses vowing to fight the 20.58 percent water rate hike proposed by Tennessee-American Water Company.
If Tennessee-American’s request is approved, how will I be affected?
Our water rates will have increased by 35.1 percent in just over a year. That’s higher than the 32.1 percent increase in the price of gasoline over the same period of time. If TAWC's latest request for a 20.58 percent increase is approved, the water utility’s rates will have gone up nearly 45 percent since August 2003. The latest rate request is the company’s fourth in six years.
What is the hike for?
Simply for the service of treating and distributing our water, and recovering costs that they should cover with their operating revenue. Tennessee-American claims the proposed $7.645 million rate increase is to help recover operating and infrastructure costs. Tennessee-American must accept responsibility for its operating expenses, and customers should not be forced to bear the full cost of improvements.
Who owns our water?
We do. Our water is our resource.
Who owns Tennessee-American Water Company?
American Water, which has corporate headquarters in Voorhees, New Jersey.
Who owns American Water?
RWE—a European company.
What can I do?
Please call or e-mail your elected officials and urge them to contact the TRA to discourage them from approving this increase.
Did you know...
TAWC will spend more than $1.2 million in legal and expert fees for the last two rate proceedings in Tennessee. Just by themselves, these expenses raise rates by nearly four percent. These fees are passed on to the ratepayers—not the owners of the company.
Contact the Tennessee Regulatory Authority and elected officials today. Discourage them from approving the proposed rate increase and demand that pattern of rate increases be stopped.