PSC denies rate increase to Great River Utility

The Mississippi Public Service Commission on Tuesday denied a request for a rate hike by Great River Utility.

Commissioners said they are not getting the answers they need to justify another rate increase when some customers have already seen bills that have gone up 400 percent since Great River acquired 26 water and wastewater systems in the state in 2021.

The company’s 22,000 to 24,000 customers include 13 systems in Harrison, Hancock and Jackson counties.

Since Great River bought those systems, an average customer bill has risen from $57.40 in March of last year to $109.01 — almost double.

The bill covers water and sewer.

During Tuesday’s meeting, Southern District Commissioner Wayne Carr asked Great River to tell him how much it cost the company to bring the water out of the ground and treat it — before it is passed on to customers. Great River has not answered that question, Carr said. Another company that serves customers in Mississippi has said it costs $1.50 per 1,000 gallons. The average bill for those customers is $24. The average bill for Great River is $80 or more, not including sewer service, the commissioners said.

“The first two words in our name is public service, so we take that seriously,” said Northern District Commissioner Chris Brown said. “So Commissioner Carr and I are trying to do our due diligence to make sure that any increases that are incurred are legitimate and backed up by factual data. And that’s why we continue to dig in and ask the questions.”