Wahkiakum PUD holds rates steady in 2026

The Wahkiakum County PUD commissioners met for their regular meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 18 where they were given a presentation by Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) Account Executive Lindsey Bleifuss and Robert Burr, who gave an overview of the provider of choice contract.

In short BPA is updating long-term power contracts that supply electricity to regional utilities, including smaller public utility districts. The process is designed to ensure that utilities have reliable access to power after current agreements expire in 2028. “What we can take away from this, [the new contract] actually sounds a little bit better for us than the present contract,” Said Commissioner Dennis Reed.

The commissioners briefly discussed the 2026 budget, which includes no rate adjustments for any power, water or sewage systems. Director of Finance Shelby Garrett gave an overview of the Winter Average, which the Town of Cathlamet had been using specifically to charge customers with high water usage. General manager Day Kay and the commissioners had many concerns regarding the use of this methodology. “It doesn’t promote conservation and some customers could have leaks and really be penalized by this [policy].” Said Kay regarding the winter average policy. Under the TOC, different customers were often getting different rates, “This winter average is very punitive, especially to customers who may not have the resources to be able to tackle this… some could be affected by hundreds of dollars a month.” Said Kay. The PUD will work to identify potential alternatives to this policy by Jan. 1, 2026. The commissioners unanimously approved and authorized the Execution of a Sewer System Transfer Agreement with Skamokawa Sewer District.