LB OKs utility rate hikes; big water, sewer projects on tap
Published 3:37 pm Sunday, November 23, 2025
LONG BEACH — In lockstep with approving the city’s 2026 budget, Long Beach councilors at their Nov. 20 meeting also approved new water and sewer rates that will go into effect at the beginning of next year.
Both Long Beach’s water and sewer rate will rise by 6% in 2026, while the stormwater rate will remain unchanged. All told, residential utility rates for those living within city limits will rise by $8.89 per month — about $107 annually.
The 6% increase for the water and sewer rates is down from 8% and 10% respective increases that the council approved this time last year for 2025. Those hikes came a year after a study from Gray & Osborne, Long Beach’s engineering firm, proposed several scenarios for how the city could fund almost $13 million in scheduled maintenance and infrastructure improvements for its aging water and sewer systems by the mid-2030s.
Following the release of that study, Long Beach officials said the city would try to thread the needle of avoiding drastic increases over a multi-year period while also ensuring key infrastructure projects were not being neglected.
The monthly water rate — which covers the first 400 cubic feet of water consumption — will increase by $2.77 in 2026, from $46.27 to $49.04, while the monthly sewer rate will increase by $5.47, from $91.17 to $96.64. Long Beach’s water rate remains the lowest of any of the other three cities in Pacific County, while its sewer rate is slightly higher than Ilwaco’s but remains much lower than that of Raymond or South Bend.
Projects on tap
The city anticipates water receipts hitting $2.5 million in 2026, up from a projected $2.36 million by the end of this year and from $2.21 million in 2024. Those collections make up the lion’s share of revenue for Long Beach’s water fund, funding salaries and benefits for at least a dozen employees as well as insurance, operating supplies, repairs, maintenance and equipment costs.
Sewer receipts are projected at about $2.15 million next year, which would be up from an estimated $2.03 million this year and $1.85 million last year. Similar to the water fund, these collections account for nearly all of the revenue in Long Beach’s sewer fund.
One substantial project on tap for next year involves making a host of water, sewer, stormwater and road improvements from 26th Street NW to Pioneer Road along Ocean Beach Boulevard. The work carries a projected cost of $2.2 million, with Long Beach expecting to use a combination of grant funding, low-interest loans from the Washington State Department of Ecology and Public Works Board, and city funds.
Water-related improvements will include installing more than 1,200 feet of 12-inch PVC piping to replace current 6-inch piping, while the sewer line in the Pioneer area will be expanded from 22nd to 24th Street NW. Roads will also be widened and sidewalks added.
In its sewer fund, Long Beach has budgeted funding to make upgrades at four of its lift stations in 2026, including replacing the lift station at the southwest corner of the Breakers property. In all, the city anticipates spending $2.7 million on lift station improvements, supported in part by $1.42 million in federal funding that had been secured in previous years through congressional earmarks.
The city is also continuing its years-long installment of auto water meter readers, with a target of replacing 200 meter readers per year at a cost of $1,000 apiece.