在过去的十年里，许多市政供应商和私人水务公司收取的水价大幅上涨；在某些情况下，它们已经翻了一倍或三倍。例如，1980年，东北部的一个主要水务局收取1.01美元/1000加仑的水费。今天的可比费率为2.05美元。在西南部的一个大社区，在最热的六个月里，每1000加仑的价格从0.74美元上升到20世纪80年代的2.07美元。在过去十年中，供水服务的总体收费以每年约7%的平均复合率增长。许多因素导致了这些增长，包括普遍的通货膨胀、更高的资本成本和更严格的环境法规。当《安全饮用水法》的修正案得到全面实施，随着保护和保护国家水资源的压力增加，有理由预计价格上涨将遵循这一趋势，并可能在20世纪90年代超过这一趋势。 这些增长将对这一宝贵资源的使用和管理产生重大影响。除了整体费率持续大幅增长外，20世纪90年代的特点是，区块费率、其他基于保护的收费以及更广泛地采用影响费。本文最后对此类变化对水行业及其客户的影响进行了一些深入了解。包括表格、数字。

The prices many municipal suppliers and private water utilities charge for water have increased dramatically over the past decade; in some cases they have doubled or tripled. For example, in 1980 a major water authority in the Northeast was charging $1.01/1,000 gal. The comparable rate today is $2.05. In a large southwestern community, rates during the six warmest months increased from $0.74 to $2.07 per 1,000 gal in the 1980s. Overall charges for water service increased at an average compound rate of about 7 percent per year during the last decade. Many factors led to these increases, including general inflation, higher capital costs, and more stringent environmental regulations. When amendments to the Safe Drinking Water Act are fully implemented and as pressure increases to preserve and protect the nation's water resources, it is reasonable to expect that price increases will follow this trend and may surpass it during the 1990s. These increases will strongly influence the use and management of this valuable resource. In addition to continued dramatic overall rate increases, the 1990s will be characterized by increasing block rates, other conservation-based charges, and more widespread adoption of impact fees. This article concludes with some insights into the effects of such changes on the water industry and its customers. Includes tables, figures.