ABQ water hikes eyed amid aging pipes

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - A top utility executive says Albuquerque's municipal water utility will likely need rate increases to pay to replace aging water pipes, pumps and treatment plants.

The Albuquerque Journal reports ( http://bit.ly/HVI9mb ) that Water Utility Authority chief executive Mark Sanchez told the board Wednesday that hikes will be needed in 2016 and 2018 since decaying municipal water infrastructure has been shortchanged by tight budgets in recent decades.

Utility officials say the current annual operating budget of $180 million per year for the utility falls some $35 million per year short of the spending needed just to keep up with problems.

Sanchez said the typical residential customer's bill of $45 per month today would likely rise to $51 per month in 2016 and have to be raised another $3 per month in 2018.