Chatham-Kent residents can expect to see a fairly substantial increase to their water and wastewater rates this year. 
At Monday’s public utilities commission meeting it was revealed that the average residential customer can expect to pay a total of about $50 more this year for both water and wastewater, a 5% increase.
In its long range plan, the PUC is forecasting smaller increases, of about 1-2 percent a year over the remainder of the decade.
The PUC has about $1-billion worth of infrastructure in the ground around the municipality.
About 1/5 of that should be replaced in the next decade.
