Overview
- Food & Water Watch released its analysis on Tuesday, Oct. 6, using 2025 billing data for the 500 largest community water systems that together serve about 155 million people.
- The group found average household drinking water bills climbed 62% from 2015 to 2025, rising faster than inflation, grocery prices and median household income.
- Private, for‑profit utilities charged roughly 67% more than public systems on average, with San Jose Water Company the highest‑priced retailer and Daly City showing the steepest decade increase.
- Report authors and multiple outlets point to specific drivers: aging treatment plants and pipes, expensive contamination cleanup, cuts or lapses in federal infrastructure funding, climate‑driven supply stress, and growing use by data centers and large agriculture.
- The release prompted pushback from utilities and industry groups about cross‑system comparisons, while some state lawmakers are proposing moratoria or more oversight and advocates are pressing Congress to restore water funding; official estimates place national drinking water needs from hundreds of billions to more than $2 trillion over coming decades.