A water bill hike is coming to Holly Springs, the town says it's necessary for future growth

Starting Monday, Holly Springs residents’ water bills will cost more.

2026-08-27

A typical Holly Springs home will see roughly an additional $12 per month on their water and sewage bill for a total of about $111 per month, according to the Town. That’s about a 12% increase.

The hike isn’t to pay for clean water infrastructure for its current residents – it’s to make way for anticipated growth.

“We know that we are going to be increasing in population, so we have to match that anticipated growth in the future,” Holly Springs Town Manager Randy Harrington said.

Holly Springs’ current population is around 55,000, according to Harrington. By 2030, Harrington says, the population is expected to be between 60,000 and 65,000.

“If you don’t do it now, you’ll be behind the curve,” Harrington said.

The Town has invested $500 million in utility upgrades that are either already underway or planned for the next few years.

A $240 million expansion of the Utley Creek Water Reclamation Facility – which deals with cleaning sewage water – is happening right now. It’s the largest infrastructure project in Holly Springs history, according to the Town.

Holly Springs also partnered with the City of Sanford and Fuquay-Varina to expand the TriRiver Water filtration facility. The expansion will increase the filtered water per day by 18 million gallons, according to the Town.

The Town also allocated $45 million to help build a 14-mile water conveyance line from Sanford to Holly Springs.

For Holly Springs residents, the increase brings frustrations after already dealing with a drought and related water restrictions.

“I’m not super excited about it given that we’ve been going through all these droughts and trying to keep plants and everything alive,” Holly Springs resident Robert Little said. “I want to invest in the area and hopefully it grows, but if I’m not investing in something to benefit, I feel like that bill’s already been paid. Why are they passing it on now?”

For residents like Little, who has two young boys at home, an increase means being more mindful about how they use their water – especially in the summer.

“We like to play in the sprinkler, like to do all the outdoor activities. The boys love to just drink from the hose,” Little said. “It sounds silly, but just second guessing those little things is going to be more annoying.”

Harrington says this will not be the last rate increase.

“There will be a series of continued rate increases over the next several years and as any additional investments might be made,” Harrington said.

Holly Springs introduced the “Round Up for Holly Springs” project, which allows residents who can afford it to pay extra to help residents who might struggle paying their bills.