Why are ALPUC's water and sewer rates so high?

This is a density issue. Any other system in existence where there are so few houses per mile of water and sewer system also has high rates. It's a simple economic problem. People think they are paying for WATER, but this is not true. What they actually are paying for is the ability to have water come out of their faucets when they turn them on. This costs money regardless of whether people are in their houses full time turning on those faucets. ALPUC operating costs do not decrease significantly when occupancy at Alpine Lake is down, as often happens in winter. Debt service costs do not change at all.

Most of the 40 year old critical components of our system wore out and had to be replaced at considerable expense, but we are simply ahead of the curve on that issue, with many more utilities facing the same problems that will have to be resolved at great expense in the near future. Compounding the problem was the fact that Alpine Lake project area was not eligible for grant monies to pay for our system upgrades.

We all would prefer to have cheap water and sewer rates, but we also want good service - to have good drinking water come out of the faucet when it is turned on. To provide good service, rates have to be adequate to cover expenses and operate our utility efficiently. Continued strong growth at Alpine Lake could in time decrease our water and sewer rates, at least compared with other utilities, but remember, utility companies experience inflation in operating costs, just as private households do.