State public utility regulators have scheduled a public hearing for this week on the Aquarion Water Company’s proposal to increase its water rates across the next three years, which if approved, would result in an overall 22.7 percent water rate hike.

Aquarion owns the public water supply which serves central Newtown, Sandy Hook Center, and the Mt Pleasant Road, Main Street, and South Main Street areas. The water supply system formerly was owned by United Water.

 A state Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) public hearing on the water rate hike request is slated for 6:30 pm on Tuesday, June 18, in the first floor conference room at Fairfield Independence Hall, 725 Old Post Road, Fairfield.

Other hearings on the Aquarion rate hike proposal will be held on June 24, June 25, and July 8, in Mystic, Torrington, and Simsbury, respectively.

In the first year of the three-year rate hike proposal, Aquarion is seeking a 18.3 percent increase. For successive years, it is seeking 1.8 percent and 1.9 percent rate increases.

When compounded across the three-year period, the rate hike would result in water costing 22.7 percent  more than now in the third year.

Aquarion supplies water to customers in 47 municipalities across the state. Aquarion applied for the rate hike on March 28.   

Customers may provide comments on the Aquarion application to PURA, 10 Franklin Square, New Britain, CT, 06051, or by e-mail to PURA.Executive Secretary@ct.gov. Those submitting comments should refer to Docket Number 13-02-20. PURA’s toll-free telephone number in Connecticut is 800-382-4586.