Edmonds, Lynnwood and Mountlake Terrace Just Split on 2027 Sewer Rates
October 21st, 2026
Snohomish County · Utility Rates
EDMONDS, WA – October 21, 2026
By The Drain Authority · Reviewed by Shane Caldwell, Owner & Lead Drain Technician · WA Contractor Reg. #DRAINDA756MA
Three neighboring cities in south Snohomish County have taken three different positions on 2027 sewer rates. Mountlake Terrace approved 6% annual increases through 2032. Edmonds’ rate consultant recommended a 7.5% sewer increase for 2027. Lynnwood froze its rates for a year. The reason they diverge, and the reason the pause may not last, is the same wastewater treatment plant.
The short answer
What are the 2027 sewer rate changes in Edmonds, Lynnwood and Mountlake Terrace?
Mountlake Terrace’s council approved 6% annual sewer increases for 2027 through 2032 on a 5-1 vote. Edmonds’ consultant recommended sewer increases of 7.5% in 2027 and 7% in each of 2028 and 2029, presented to the council on October 6, 2026. Lynnwood’s council unanimously froze 2027 rates at 2026 levels, about 10.7% below the sewer rate it had previously scheduled. Lynnwood says its sewer costs are driven largely by an upcoming wastewater treatment plant project.
7.5%
Edmonds proposed 2027 sewer increase
6%
Mountlake Terrace sewer, each year 2027–2032
0%
Lynnwood 2027 rate change after its freeze
+$33.92
Edmonds typical bimonthly bill, 2027, all utilities
Three cities, three answers
City
2027 sewer change
Status
What else changes
Edmonds
+7.5% then 7% in 2028 and 2029
Recommended by consultant FCS on October 6; council discussion continued October 13
Water +9.75% a year; stormwater +6.5%, +6.5%, +5%
Mountlake Terrace
+6% a year
Approved October 2, 5-1
Water +6% a year (about $56 a year for the average home); stormwater +3% a year; runs 2027–2032
Lynnwood
0%
Approved unanimously September 28
2027 rates equal 2026 rates; 2028 rates equal the former 2027 schedule
Edmonds: the full proposal
At the October 6 council meeting, FCS principal consultant Chris Gonzalez presented the city’s 2026 utility rate update and recommended adopting increases for 2027 through 2029, My Edmonds News reported. He pointed to wholesale water increases from Everett, general and construction cost inflation, growth, reserves, debt service and the utility tax, along with large capital projects including the Lynnwood wastewater treatment plant. The city engineer said the money would cover rising maintenance costs, Everett’s wholesale water price and replacement of aging and failing infrastructure.
The council presentation shows what that means for a typical single-family customer, billed every two months at 14 ccf of water:
Bimonthly bill
2026
2027
2028
2029
Water
$140.52
$154.21
$169.28
$185.78
Sewer
$142.52
$153.21
$163.93
$175.41
Stormwater
$59.90
$63.79
$67.94
$71.34
Utility tax
$68.59
$74.24
$80.23
$43.25
Total
$411.53
$445.45
$481.38
$475.78
Proposed figures from the consultant’s October 6, 2026 presentation to the Edmonds City Council. Single-family customer at 14 ccf per two-month billing period.
Read the 2029 column carefully. The total drops $5.60, but nothing gets cheaper: water, sewer and stormwater all keep rising. The bill falls because the utility tax line falls from $80.23 to $43.25. Edmonds raised its tax on water, sewer and stormwater from 10% to 20% as a temporary measure, and in July the council voted 5-2 to extend it through the end of 2028, according to The Everett Herald.
On the sewer side, the presentation’s capital plan carries $31.0 million for sewer main replacement, $26.9 million for Edmonds’ own treatment plant and $29.0 million for Lynnwood treatment plant projects.
Mountlake Terrace: six years set at once
Mountlake Terrace went further and locked in a multi-year path. The council approved 6% annual increases for water and sewer and 3% for stormwater, running from 2027 through 2032, on a 5-1 vote with Councilmember Sonmore opposed, My MLT News reported. The water increase works out to about $56 a year for the average home. The case made at the dais was the age of the city’s infrastructure.
Lynnwood: a freeze, with a plant decision pending
Lynnwood went the other way. On September 28 the council unanimously adopted an ordinance that holds 2027 rates at 2026 levels, the Lynnwood Times reported. Compared with the schedule the city had already adopted, that is about 4.8% below the old 2027 water rate, 4.1% below surface water and 10.7% below sewer, which had been on the steepest track at about 12% a year. Staff said the utilities can absorb the pause without solvency problems. The catch: 2028 rates will equal the former 2027 rates, so the freeze moves the schedule back a year rather than lowering it.
Why the sewer line item is the one to watch
Lynnwood Public Works Director Jared Bond told the council that “sewer costs are largely being driven by our upcoming wastewater treatment plant project.” He said an alternatives analysis for the plant should be complete by the end of the year, and that the city will then revisit its financial partnership with Edmonds and what Edmonds contributes.
The angle most coverage is missing
Each city’s rate decision was covered on its own. Put them side by side and a dependency appears: Edmonds is being asked to adopt a sewer path that includes $29.0 million for Lynnwood treatment plant projects, ramping from $0.2 million in 2026 to $7.8 million in 2031 in its own capital table. Meanwhile Lynnwood has said it will reopen what Edmonds contributes once its plant analysis is done.
In other words, Edmonds’ 7.5%, 7% and 7% sewer steps rest on a cost share that its partner has publicly said it intends to revisit. Neither city has published what a revised split would look like. Lynnwood’s freeze doesn’t lower the plant’s cost either; it delays when customers start paying the next step.
Where customers stand today varies widely. In the consultant’s 2026 comparison of bimonthly single-family sewer charges at 14 ccf, Lynnwood came in at $221.20, Mountlake Terrace at $163.16 and Edmonds at $142.52. Seattle was $248.62.
What the rate fight doesn’t touch
All three rate paths pay for public mains, pump stations and treatment. None of them pay to clear or repair the private line between a house and the public main. Check with your city on exactly where its responsibility ends, then find out what condition your side of the line is in before the wet months put it to the test.
“Whatever the councils decide, the rate pays for the plant and the city mains. It doesn’t touch the line under your yard. What I tell people in Edmonds and Lynnwood is what I’d tell anyone: getting a camera down your sewer before the rainy season is a lot cheaper than finding out about it from a backup in January.”
Shane Caldwell, Owner & Lead Drain Technician, The Drain Authority
Rates are going up. A sewer emergency doesn’t have to.
We serve Edmonds, Lynnwood and Mountlake Terrace from our Ballard shop. Start with a camera inspection and a straight answer about what your line needs.
How much are Edmonds sewer rates going up in 2027?
Edmonds’ rate consultant recommended a 7.5% sewer increase for 2027, followed by 7% in 2028 and 7% in 2029. Under that proposal, the typical bimonthly single-family bill for water, sewer, stormwater and utility tax would rise from $411.53 in 2026 to $445.45 in 2027.
Did Lynnwood raise utility rates for 2027?
No. On September 28, 2026, the Lynnwood City Council unanimously adopted a freeze that keeps 2027 rates equal to 2026 rates. Sewer rates come in about 10.7% below the schedule Lynnwood had previously set for 2027, and 2028 rates will equal the former 2027 rates.
What utility increases did Mountlake Terrace approve?
The Mountlake Terrace City Council approved 6% annual increases for water and sewer and 3% annual increases for stormwater from 2027 through 2032, on a 5-1 vote.
Why are sewer rates rising in south Snohomish County?
Lynnwood’s public works director said sewer costs are largely being driven by the city’s upcoming wastewater treatment plant project. Edmonds’ sewer capital plan includes $29.0 million for Lynnwood treatment plant projects and $26.9 million for its own treatment plant.
The Drain Authority is a drain and sewer specialist serving King and Snohomish counties from Ballard. Edmonds figures are proposals as presented on October 6, 2026; check the city for the adopted ordinance. Featured photo: a weathered water utility cover in a concrete sidewalk, by Greg Jewett on Unsplash.
