Suche
Mein Konto
Eschwege shocks: wastewater fees rise by over 36 percent!
Eschwege will increase wastewater fees by more than 36% from 2026 in order to compensate for a deficit and meet legal requirements.
Eschwege shocks: wastewater fees rise by over 36 percent!
In Eschwege, homeowners are facing financial upheaval. From January 2026, dirty water fees will be increased by over 36 percent. This was decided by a majority in the city council in order to achieve a balanced fee budget. The background is a deficit of around 84,000 euros that was generated in 2025. The meeting also rejected further discussion in the finance committee, which pushed the discussion about social justice into the background. Although suggestions were made, further considerations had no consequences, as hna.de reports.
The new fees at a glance: The rainwater fee increases to 82 cents per square meter, which corresponds to an increase of 12.33 percent. This has a direct impact on homeowner costs. An example shows that for a roof area of 100 square meters, the annual fee increases from 65.70 euros to 73.80 euros. However, things are particularly dramatic when it comes to the dirty water fee, which is now 4.56 euros per cubic meter of fresh water consumption. This corresponds to an increase of 36.12 percent. For a four-person household with a consumption of 180 cubic meters, that means a whopping 217.80 euros more per year. A two-person household with 90 cubic meters has to spend around 108.90 euros additionally.
Background of the increased fees
Why are fees increasing so much? A dubious record was achieved with the long period of stable sewage charges. The last adjustment took place in 2013. As a result, there have been continuous cost increases since 2020, and the reserve of 1.2 million euros at the time has now been completely used up. Various factors contribute to this: On the one hand, a new press costing around 3.5 million euros was installed in the central sewage treatment plant. In addition, there are increased disposal costs for sewage sludge, which has to be transported to Leipzig, as well as higher energy and material costs.
Another aspect is the declining water consumption in the region, which has a negative impact on income. It is noteworthy that twelve of the 16 municipalities in the Werra-Meißner district have increased their wastewater fees since 2023. In this context, Eschwege is in the middle of the field and occupies ninth place in terms of costs in the district.
The city is now responsible for meeting the legal requirements of the Hessian Municipal Tax Act (KAG). This is the only way to achieve a balanced fee budget - a project that will not only place a heavy burden on the city, but especially on its citizens. It remains to be seen whether the proposals to take social justice into account will bear fruit in the future.