The Maryland Public Service Commission should be commended for its decision to hold local hearings on a proposed water rate increase for the Pinto area.

Two hearings on rate charges were originally scheduled for Baltimore. But at the urging of Sen. George Edwards and Del. Kevin Kelly, the commission now says the hearings will be held somewhere within the Pinto service area.

One of the hearings will be evidentiary and the other will be solely for public comment.

The rate increases would impact nearly 950 Pinto area water customers’ for as many as 79 months. Three separate surcharges would help recover $625,055.97 the Illinois-based utility claimed it has lost between 2006 and 2008 in a July 31 filing with the PSC. A fourth, distinct rate increase request also was proposed, in a separate filing with the state commission to reflect an increase in the bulk purchased water costs effective Aug. 26 this year.

The hearings are “to consider whether the proposed bulk purchased water rate increase and the proposed three, concurrent surcharges are just and reasonable,” according to an order signed by PSC Executive Secretary Terry J. Romine. “

The matter will be delegated to the Hearing Examiner Division for hearing. Additionally, the commission directs the Hearing Examiner Division to hold both the evidentiary hearing and the hearing for public comment at a location within the Pinto service territory to enable the persons affected by these rate increases the opportunity to either participate in the daytime evidentiary hearing as a party or attend the evening hearing and provide comments on the matter.”

The commission also ordered “that any water quality issues that may have arisen due to the condition of the water system infrastructure should also be addressed in this matter, to the extent within the commission’s jurisdiction, including the means and cost of identifying and prudently remedying any water quality problems.”

PSC ;members approved a temporary rate, subject to refund, of $5.61 for proposed bulk purchased water. The new rate became effective last week, “to avoid any greater increase in any purchased water surcharge reconciliation rate in the future.”

The exact location of the local hearings has yet to be determined. Kelly is calling for a hearing site that can hold as many as 500 people and have good acoustics.