A rate hike approved Tuesday by Greenville Municipal Authority will increase residents' water bills by 15 percent, beginning March 1.

A pair of capital improvement projects were blamed for the rate increase. Operating expenses are going up to pay for the projects, said Mario Marini, vice chairman of the water authority board.

This is the first rate increase in two years.

The authority next year plans to increase the flow of water for the fire protection sprinklers at UPMC Horizon, Greenville, the vice chairman said. That will require laying a new 12-inch pipe from a main line on Hadley Road to the hospital on North Main Street.

Also, the authority plans to replace an eight-inch line on Mercer Road with a 12-inch line to improve water pressure for Fredonia Road residents, Marini said.

Other expenses on the rise were gas and electric rates and the cost of health care benefits for employees, Marini said.

Marini said the rate hike will amount to about $1 per day for the typical Greenville area resident. However, authority secretary Maria Kerekes said the average resident can expect to see his or her bimonthly bills go up about $6.25.

A resident using 10,000 gallons every two months will pay a bimonthly water bill of $47.90, Ms. Kerekes said.

With the rate increase, the minimum bimonthly bill will be $19, Ms. Kerekes said. That does not include sewer rates, which are 74.9 percent of the water bill, she said.

Residents should expect to see the increase in their first water bill after March 1.