Temple Terrace city officials here are weighing a water rate increase of as much as 35% on residents next year, the price tag for a water treatment overhaul that critics say should have been addressed years ago.

The city’s water treatment plant is roughly 40 years old and has reached the end of its useful life, according to a recent engineering study. Now, with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), or “forever chemicals,” discovered in the city’s water supply last year at levels exceeding federal thresholds, Temple Terrace has little choice but to act — and residents will be the ones footing the bill.

City Manager Carlos Baía is recommending a roughly $73 million nanofiltration system paired with a deep injection well, a price that doesn’t include an estimated $22 million in additional costs for temporary carbon-filter systems needed during construction because of the city’s hard water. Baía told council members purchasing the temporary equipment outright, rather than renting, makes more financial sense given the project’s multi-year timeline.

The alternative — tying into Hillsborough County’s water system — carried an even steeper preliminary price tag of about $93 million, plus permitting costs the city has not yet calculated, and would take five to six years to complete versus four to five for the in-house fix. Most council members indicated during an Aug. 11 work session that they favor the nanofiltration route despite its cost, citing long-term reliability.

What’s left unresolved is how hard the resulting rate increase will hit residents’ wallets, and how fast.

Council member Alison Fernandez said she backs the nanofiltration plan but wants the increase phased in over several years rather than delivered as a single 35% jump.

Temple Terrace homeowner Liz Magrini, who said she already pays about $156 a month for water despite not irrigating her full acre of property, was more pointed in her criticism — not just of the size of the increase, but of the years of inaction that made it necessary.

“That’s what happens when upgrades get delayed instead of planned for,” Magrini said. “If the city had addressed these needs incrementally, a little at a time over years, the residents wouldn’t be facing this kind of financial hit all at once.”

Magrini warned the increase could squeeze families already stretched thin and hit older residents on fixed incomes especially hard.

The City Council has not finalized the rate increase or the broader details of the water project. Baía said the city expects to have a clearer picture of costs and next steps within the week.

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