Groveland city leaders are considering a two-month pause on a planned 10% water rate increase after a series of failures at the Sunshine Water Treatment Plant left thousands of residents in north Groveland dealing with water disruptions.

The proposed pause comes after three outages at the plant in the past month. The most recent was caused by a break in a 16-inch water main that was about 30 years old, according to city information shared with residents.

The planned rate increase is part of a multiyear utility rate plan approved in 2024. City leaders said the plan is meant to help pay for new water treatment plants, pipes and other major infrastructure projects.

Some residents said they understand the need to invest in the system but are frustrated by the timing of the increase after repeated service problems.

“All this is being built up and that system is old,” Groveland resident Sam H. said. “So it’s going to take a while for it to catch up. And if we don’t keep investing in our infrastructure and planning division, they’re not keeping up.”

Other residents said water bills are already high, especially for families dealing with interruptions in service.

“I mean, why live in this area? This area is really nice, but I wouldn’t want to deal with that every month,” resident Alexandra Gonzalez said. “And then the water bill is just $300, $365.”

Under the proposal, the 10% potable water rate increase would be delayed until January. City officials estimate the pause would cost about $320,000. If approved, the city would use money from its general reserves to make up for the lost revenue.

Some residents said delaying the rate increase is a good step, especially for households with children or newborns, but others believe the city should do more.

Several residents said they want the city to consider refunds or credits for the days when service was disrupted.

“I think the fair thing is that they should look at how many days we were dealing with this issue and make a compensation on a fee,” one resident said.

As of now, there is no item on Monday’s agenda to discuss compensation for residents. City leaders are expected to decide whether to pause the rate increase during their meeting Monday.