WRA has conducted an inventory of residential water rates for public- and investor-owned water utilities within Delaware and its adjoining states—Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. This current report is an update of the original water-rate inventory prepared in September 1996 and two later reports: Economic Synthesis of Water Rates in Delaware and Surrounding River Basins, August 21, 2000, and Synthesis of Water Rates in Delaware and Contiguous States, July 2004.

The purpose of this inventory is to summarize and compare residential water rates for Delaware and the surrounding states.  The most recent report, published December 2008, is a compilation of water-rate data from local water purveyors; collected via telephone, e-mail, fax, and websites.  The data are presented graphically to provide a comparison of the water rates in the Delaware Valley region. In addition to providing the 2000, 2004, and 2008 water rates, the report illustrates the change in water rates over time. The authors intend the reports and data to be used by water providers; federal, state, and local water agencies; and the public.