For-profit water corporations, federal cuts and climate crisis are ‘supercharging water rate hikes’, study co-author says
US households are paying 62% more for drinking water than they did a decade ago – outpacing inflation, grocery prices and household incomes, according to a new study.
Food & Water Watch, a Washington DC-based non-profit, analyzed 2025 billing data from the 500 largest community water systems in the US, which together serve about 155 million people, or 45% of the country’s population. The analysis compared current rates with data from a similar Food & Water Watch survey conducted in 2015. The study does not include wastewater or storm water charges, which are often billed separately from drinking water service.
In 2025, the average household using 60,000 gallons of water paid $531 for drinking water service, according to the study. However, costs varied widely, with annual bills ranging from $133 at the cheapest system to $1,416 at the most expensive.
If you do, which I very highly recommend because RO water genuinely tastes amazing (I don’t like tap water anymore, it’s gross and chemical-ly), especially out of stainless steel or glass drinkware, I encourage you to get one with a pump and a 6 gallon tank if you can find a place for the tank to go.
The pump reduces the wasted water to about 1:1 (non-pumped is about 4:1 wastewater to RO), and unless you really don’t use much water, 6 gallons is the way to go, especially if you have multiple people living there, or might do in the future. You might not need it often, but if you ever have company or get an aquarium or anything you’ll be so glad you have the big tank.
The 3 gallon tank I have is adequate for me alone, and would probably be ok for 2 people, but when I do drain it, which I do when making broths, soups, beer, big ice tea batches, etc. or even just filling jugs to take camping, it takes about 4 hours to refill (dont have pump driven, those might go faster, im not sure)
And if you get one, make sure you clean the tank annually. I did not know for half a decade that bleaching regularly, which is pretty easy to do, is important to prevent bacterial growth. Mmm tasty.