Regional Water Rural Water Association recently implemented a system-wide rate increase for all of its customers. While the City of Avoca has a plan in place that allows us to avoid participating in these increases — some of which resulted in rate hikes of up to $4.00 in neighboring communities — we also felt it was important to conduct additional research. This review helps ensure that Avoca’s water rates remain appropriate and cost-effective for residents, while also accounting for the City’s additional costs and comparing our rates to other towns receiving water services from Rural Water.
Water Rate Comparisons with other Rural Water Users
After compiling a complete list of Rural Water users by contacting Rural Water directly, we then contacted each city hall or reviewed their official websites to obtain current water rate information. Based on the use of 4,000 gallons of water, the following rate comparisons were calculated:
What is All Included in Avoca’s Rates
When you receive your utility bill in the mail each month, you have four charges: water, sewer, stormwater, and garbage. Sewer rates are based on 60% of your water usage and stormwater rates are based on the Equivalent Service Units (ESU) with a minimum charge of $7.27. Portion of these two additional charges goes back to pay into our outstanding bonds:
2010 Stormwater $412,000 bond through the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)
2013 Sewer $1.7 million bond through the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)
2019 - 2020 Water Mains $2.1 million bond through the Iowa Finance Authority
These bonds allowed the City to make significant infrastructure improvements throughout the community. As a result, the sewer mains were lined and are now 100% updated and approximately 95% of the water mains have been replaced or upgraded.
Maintaining updated infrastructure is essential to protecting public health, safety, and long-term sustainability within our community. Reliable water and sewer systems, well-maintained streets, and quality public facilities support residents’ daily needs while helping Avoca remain an attractive place to live, work, and do business. By investing in infrastructure improvements, the City can operate more efficiently, meet regulatory requirements, and plan responsibly for future growth. These proactive investments also help reduce long-term costs for residents by limiting emergency repairs, service disruptions, and unexpected rate increases, ultimately preserving Avoca’s quality of life.
Rural Water’s Latest Update from December 22, 2025
Due to the completion of the Minden Pipeline and York Booster Station projects, as well as the efforts of its customers and member communities, Regional Water is pleased to announce that it has downgraded the “Level Yellow” advisory to “Level Green”, the normal operations level of its Emergency Water Conservation Plan.
As Avoca continues to evaluate its water services and future infrastructure needs, we are proud of the progress that has been made and remain hopeful and forward-looking about what lies ahead.