The price residents and businesses throughout Butler and Warren counties pay for water varies more than $100, according to a recent survey and an investigation by WCPO media partners at the Journal-News.
The Butler County Water and Sewer District that serves cities and townships provides water for $124.19 for 3,000 cubic feet of water, what an average customer uses in three months, according to an annual survey conducted by the city of Piqua.
Of the 71 jurisdictions listed in the study, Butler County Water and Sewer District had the eighth lowest rate.
The lowest local rate was found in the city of Oxford ($115.80), followed by the city of Hamilton ($137.46).
The city of Monroe receives wholesale water from BCWS, then charges $273.23, the survey’s fourth highest for the same amount of water.
The three most expensive water prices were Piqua ($283.80), Vandalia ($288.39) and Yellow Springs ($433.39), according to the study.
The cost to provide water to a customer is dependent on multiple factors all unique to a water system – water source, treatment requirements, infrastructure, customer base, operating costs and capital investment needs, said Brandi Day, interim director of BCWS.
She said the objective of every water system is to establish rates that recover its revenue requirements, including the costs necessary to operate, maintain, repair, replace and improve the system while meeting or exceeding all regulatory requirements.
The district uses an increasing-block rate structure, also called a conservation rate, so the price per thousand gallons increases as water use increases, according to its web site.
Customers who use a lot of water and require more system capacity will pay a higher rate than customers who use less water, the BCWS said.
Butler County purchases finished water from the city of Hamilton and Greater Cincinnati Water Works, Day said.
Hamilton has two water treatment plants, with the South Water Treatment Plant being a 40 million gallon per day facility, said Edwin Porter, executive director of infrastructure.
Butler County is the city of Hamilton’s largest customer. Hamilton is contractually obligated to provide a minimum of 2.92 billion gallons of water a year to the county.
But the city has provided more than the minimum. In 2024, Hamilton supplied about 3.5 billion gallons of water, which generated about $6.7 million in revenue from the county, according to documents.
BCWS offers water and wastewater service to a growing population of more than 100,000 in West Chester, Lemon, Liberty, Fairfield, Hanover and Ross townships, the city of Monroe and the village of New Miami, Day said.
Some cities, like Middletown and Fairfield, provide their own water services.
Two businessmen have asked Monroe City Council during a recent meeting to lower the city’s water rates.
The interim executive director of a Middletown assisted living and skilled nursing facility asked Monroe city council members to consider lowering the water rate the business is paying.
Christian Brummett, interim executive director of Majestic Care Middletown, 6898 Hamilton Middletown Road, said since the business is located in a “carved out” portion of Middletown, it receives sewer services from Middletown, but not water services.
That means Majestic Care pays “out of city” prices, $20.26 per 1,000 gallons. The city of Monroe rate is $14.25, or 14% lower, per 1,000 gallons, he said.
He said the water rate in the city of Middletown is $4.20 per 1,000 gallons and is expected to increase to $5.25 this summer.
Majestic Care paid $38,679 for water in May and that was four times higher than the same period in 2025, he said. Some of that increase is due to a faulty water sensor the city of Monroe replaced.
The facility also is repairing leaky pipes and showers in hopes of reducing water usage, according to Brummett.
In response to Brummett’s request, Vice Mayor Christina McElfresh asked how the city sets its water rates.
City Manager Larry Lester said Monroe purchases water from Butler County, then increases that price to cover administrative and operational expenses.
Another businessman, Alfred Rizkallah, owner of Cascade Car Wash on New Garver Road, told council that the city’s high-volume water rate has become “a significant issue” for his business that opened in 2020.
He said Monroe charges $12.28 per thousand gallons for commercial usage above 20,000 gallons. He reviewed six area cities and said Monroe has the highest high-volume rates.
Rizkallah said since his car wash uses more than 20,000 gallons, it moves into the highest priced tier in the rate schedule.
That rate disproportionately impacts large commercial users and does not adequately recognize the “value of predictable high-volume demand,” he said.
He said in the last six years, Monroe’s high-volume water rate has increased from $7.84 to $12.28, or 57%
He asked the council to review the water rates in the city.
Monroe’s Public Works Director Gary Morton told the Journal-News said the price of the purchased water is increased to cover the water and sewer department’s operations and administrative costs.
Morton pointed out that the city’s combined water and sewer rates are much lower than a lot of cities. The city’s sewer and water rate was $362.42, ranking it the 43rd lowest of the 71 jurisdictions listed on the city of Piqua survey. The cost in Monroe was similar to Hamilton’s and Franklin’s, according to the survey.
Water Rates
Here are the water rates for 22,500 gallons, or 3,000 cubic feet of water for a three-month period, according to an annual survey from the city of Piqua.
- Oxford, $115.80
- Butler County, $124.19
- Hamilton, $137.46
- Warren County, $138.87
- Middletown, $139.44
- Franklin, $158.99
- Springboro, $160.56
- Carlisle, $167.63
- Lebanon, $168.93
- Trenton, $170.13
- Fairfield, $172.57
- Germantown, $184.20
- Monroe, $273.23
