At their recent monthly meeting, the Powdersville Water Board of Directors approved their proposed budget for 2017 which included a $1.5 million pipeline along Highway 153. This main improvement is necessary due to the increased growth along the corridor between I-85 and Easley. The new budget includes a 3.5 percent rate increase for retail customers that will become effective with the January, 2017 billing. The recommendation for the increase was the result of Powdersville Water’s annual financial plan and rate modeling update, which included the above project, as well as many other water system initiatives. Each year Powdersville Water performs an annual update of its comprehensive 10-Year financial plan and rate model to ensure that rates are adequate to cover projected expenditures for the coming year and for future years. This process takes into account not only the ongoing expenses of operating the system on a day-to-day basis but also debt service costs and any planned capital improvements. With the increase, Powdersville Water rates remain comparable to other similar sized utilities across the state. A typical Powdersville Water residential customer who uses 6,000 gallons per month can expect to pay $41.33 per month with the new rate in place.