11/24/2025
🌊 Why Gahanna’s Rates Are Rising: The Regional Reality
Can we talk honestly about our water and sewer rates?
At the Nov. 10th Committee of the Whole meeting, we reviewed the proposed 2026 water and sewer rate adjustments for Gahanna. For the average household using 4,000 gallons per month, the increase is $7.49 per month, or 6.14%.
Nobody likes rate increases. I certainly don’t. But I also believe in being transparent, not just about what is happening, but why.
And the “why” goes far beyond Gahanna.
This is a regional story, not a local one, and the full story is a little long….
BUT First, a reminder: Gahanna purchases both water and sewer services from the City of Columbus. We maintain our own local distribution system and capital needs, but Columbus:
* provides our treated drinking water, and
* treats all the sewage we deliver to their interceptors.
Columbus has announced its own increases for 2026:
* Water: +18%
* Sewer: +8%
* Combined: +12.88%
Because of rate settings in past years, Gahanna has a small cushion that softens this impact — for now. But that cushion is shrinking quickly, and Columbus projects similar increases for several years to come.
So what’s driving these rates?
🔧 1. Water & Sewer Are Enterprise Systems — Not General Government Services
Unlike police, roads, or parks, water and sewer systems are “enterprise funds.” This means:
* Costs must be paid by the people who use the system
* Use drives infrastructure needs
* Use drives treatment costs
* Use drives long-term capital planning
For decades across the United States, water and sewer rates were kept artificially low, while pipes, pump stations, and treatment plants aged. The U.S. EPA now estimates we need $740 billion nationally over the next 20 years just to maintain drinking water and wastewater infrastructure at current levels.
This is bigger than Gahanna. It’s bigger than Columbus. It’s a national reality.
🚧 2. Infrastructure is Old and Expensive to Replace
Much of Central Ohio’s water/sewer backbone was built between the 1960s and 1980s. Systems nationwide are now reaching end-of-life:
* transmission mains
* pumps and reservoirs
* sewer interceptors
* treatment plant equipment
* electrical and chemical systems
Replacing or upgrading these core systems is enormously expensive, necessary, and unavoidable.
📘 3. The Central Ohio Regional Water Study: A Warning
A recent 15-county regional study by Ohio EPA and partners revealed critical insights:
📈 Demand Is Rising
Under the “expected growth” scenario, Central Ohio’s water demand will grow 28% by 2050. Even the “low growth” scenario shows ~9% growth.
⚠️ Infrastructure Gaps Are Emerging
The study identified 64 projected “gaps” in the region under high-growth pressure, including:
* groundwater shortages
* surface water stress
* reservoir limitations
* treatment plant capacity shortfalls
🌿 Certain Watersheds Are at High Risk
Especially:
* Big Darby Creek
* South Fork Licking River
* Raccoon Creek
* Lower Scioto River
🌡 Climate Change Magnifies These Problems
Hotter summers + heavier storms + longer dry spells = more peak demand, reduced groundwater recharge, and greater stress on surface water.
🏞 4. Impervious Surfaces Are Quietly Driving Up Long-Term Costs
Every new:
* roof
* warehouse
* parking lot
* highway
* driveway
* compacted soil area
…prevents rainfall from soaking into the ground.
The science is clear:
* At 10% impervious area, runoff doubles or triples.
* At 25% impervious area, runoff can be 5–10 times higher during storms.
* Less infiltration → less groundwater recharge → lower stream baseflow.
* Low baseflow means greater drought risk and more expensive water supply options.
* More runoff → more flooding → larger stormwater infrastructure → higher treatment costs.
This is why Central Ohio sees more flash flooding even when total rainfall hasn’t increased proportionally. And why I constantly support rain gardens, trees, and complete green streetscapes. Community rain gardens do mitigate flooding, reduce long term utility costs and build community pride.
(Royal Manor Block Watch, I’m looking at you…)
🏗 5. Central Ohio Is Growing Faster Than Its Infrastructure
Columbus is now building a $1.6 billion water treatment plant on Home Road , expandable to 80 million gallons per day, plus massive new transmission mains and two new reservoirs, bringing the total program near $2.3 billion.
They are building this because:
* Central Ohio is one of the fastest growing regions in the Midwest
* Residential growth is accelerating
* Industrial growth (Intel, data centers, logistics, manufacturing) is surging
* Peak water demand is increasing
* Climate conditions are becoming less predictable
When Columbus invests billions to accommodate growth, wholesale customers like Gahanna inevitably share in the cost.
💵 Why We Can’t Use Tax Dollars to Cover Water/Sewer Costs
Some have asked whether the general fund should subsidize utility costs.
The answer is: No, and doing so would be financially dangerous and environmentally irresponsible.
Because it would:
1. Hide the true cost of water
2. Shift costs from heavy users to residents
3. Undermine conservation
4. Destabilize municipal budgets
5. Violate enterprise-fund financial principles
Cheap water seems compassionate today, but it causes much larger bills later for the taxpayer. Cheap water encourages overuse, reduces conservation, and can accelerate watershed depletion.
🧭 So How Do We Contain Costs?
There are effective ways to keep utility costs under control, without pushing the problem into the general fund.
✔ Cost-of-Service Pricing
Each customer class pays what it costs to serve them, rewarding conservation where appropriate. Promoting programs such as WaterSense appliances are key.
✔ Impact Fees for High-Use Development
Large users must pay for the capacity they require.
✔ Require Alternative Water Sources for datacenters and others
* reclaimed wastewater
* stormwater capture
* industrial reuse
* closed-loop cooling
This alone can avoid tens of millions in future capacity investments.
✔ Regional Collaboration
The Brookings Institution recently highlighted the massive water demands of data centers and AI facilities. Only regional planning and cost-sharing can deal with these pressures effectively.
Maybe it is time for Central Ohio to think more regionally.
Final Thought
Rates rise when systems age, when regions grow, and when climate stress affects water supplies. This is happening everywhere, and Central Ohio is no exception. There are programs to help with costs of water/sewer for those in need, continuing the need to enhance the robustness of these programs is going to be vital. What’s clear is that its time to shift the costs to all heavy users.
I hope this gives you a fuller understanding of the bigger picture behind the rate adjustments in Gahanna. As always, I’m here to answer questions or walk through the details.
Title: AN ORDINANCE TO ESTABLISH UTILITY RATES AND AMEND RELATED PROVISIONS OF PART NINE, TITLE THREE - PUBLIC UTILITIES OF THE GAHANNA CODIFIED ORDINANCES
