Government has defended the upcoming increase in water rates, saying it is needed for infrastructure upgrades, including on Little Cayman where all three reverse osmosis plants failed simultaneously last year.
Home Affairs Minister Nickolas DaCosta said residents on the island were forced to draw water from cisterns in vacant homes amid an island wide shortage.
He said the rate hike, which takes effect in July, was the first in seven years and amounted to an extra $3 on a $100 water bill for the average customer in Grand Cayman.
The minister, speaking on CompassTV’s Forefront talk show, said the money would help pay for much needed investment on all three islands.
DaCosta cited the incident on Little Cayman as an example of why the increase could not be delayed.
“In February of last year, all three privately owned RO plants were down. They were completely down in Little Cayman,” he said.
“The residents there had to go around to vacant houses, getting water from cisterns to fill their own cisterns. And that’s not how our own people should be living in 2026.”
Little Cayman currently relies on a Crown-owned deep well and three privately operated reverse osmosis plants.
The Water Authority plans to extend piped water services to the island, with work targeted for 2028.
Additional reservoir capacity at the Red Gate facility on Grand Cayman and expanded pipeline services in Cayman Brac are also planned.
Opposition objects to rate increase
The Progressives opposition criticised the timing of the increase, which also includes higher sewerage rates, given extreme cost-of-living pressures across the Cayman Islands.
DaCosta rejected criticism of the increase, saying the difference in monthly bills was roughly equivalent in cost to a single bottle of water.
“Whether the Water Authority increases their rate by 3% or the central government has to provide funding to the water authority, the money has to be there to continue that water supply.”
Deputy Leader of the Opposition Kenneth Bryan said the government had ignored months of appeals to halt the increase.
“For months, we begged the NCFC government, on behalf of the people, to halt this intended price increase that they announced last year, yet the cries have been completely ignored.
“They promise to do everything that they can to reduce the cost of living, but yet they are doing the total opposite.”
Water Authority-Cayman Director Gelia Frederick-van Genderen said in a press release that the increase was needed to fund maintenance and improvements, but she insisted tap water remained affordable.
“The authority is committed to keeping tap water affordable and, even with this increase, the water we provide remains less than three cents per gallon.”
Under the new rates, the base price for the first 12 cubic metres used per month on Grand Cayman rises 13 cents, from $4.34 to $4.47 per cubic metre. Consumption above that threshold increases from $5.57 to $5.74 per cubic metre.
Cayman Brac piped customers face an 18-cent increase, from $5.99 to $6.17 per cubic metre. Customers relying on truck-delivered water will see the steepest rise, up 23 cents per cubic metre from $7.55 to $7.78.
Sewerage rates will also rise, from $1.672 to $1.722 per Sewerage Fixture Unit. Disposal charges levied on sewage trucks will increase from $17.018 to $17.529 per 1,000 US gallons.
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