WATER AND WASTEWATER RETAIL RATE ADJUSTMENT REPORT

Board of County Commissioners · 2026-07-21 · report

Miami-Dade County is considering a 6% water and wastewater retail rate adjustment for the Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department (WASD), effective October 1, 2026. This adjustment is necessary to fund critical infrastructure improvements required by a Consent Decree with federal and state agencies, the Ocean Outfall Legislation Program, Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) implementation, and other regulatory obligations. The proposed increase is projected to generate approximately $65.6 million in annual revenue, supporting approximately $435 million in bond financing for projects. Without this adjustment, critical projects, including those under Professional Service Agreements (PSAs) with firms like Jacobs Engineering, AECOM, Hazen and Sawyer, Black and Veatch, Brown & Caldwell, HDR Engineering, and others, would be suspended or cancelled. The report lists numerous specific projects and their associated PSA contractors and proposed allocations, totaling over $434 million, that would be immediately impacted. The County argues that delaying these investments would jeopardize years of progress, risk violating federal orders, and lead to steeper future rate increases. Public comment is not stated in this document. The decision is pending.