WEST WARWICK — The Kent County Water Authority is seeking to automatically pass along to its customers any increase in water rates granted to the Providence Water Supply Board.

The request comes because Providence has asked the state Public Utilities Commission for permission to raise its water rates by 10.1 percent, although the board expects to scale that request back to 8.8 percent because its property tax bills in Scituate, home of the Scituate Reservoir, have recently been reduced.

Kent County Water, which buys nearly 3 billion gallons from Providence each year, said the increase, as filed, would cost more than $428,000, and it wants to be able to pass that increase on to its ratepayers.

Kent has told the PUC it would need to recover its extra costs by increasing its metered rates by 2.53 percent.

The typical residential customer of the Providence Water system, who uses 74,805 gallons annually, now pays $276.32 per year. A Kent County Water Authority customer pays $502.26 for the same amount, according to a comparison released by Providence Water to support its proposed rate hike.

Another public hearing on the Providence Water proposal is set for Wednesday at 6 p.m. in the North Providence Town Hall, 2000 Smith St. An initial hearing at the Providence Public Safety Complex auditorium in June drew just one person.

Providence Water sells directly to residential and business customers in Providence, Cranston, Johnston and North Providence. It also sells water, at wholesale, to Kent, the Greenville Water District, the East Smithfield Water District and the Bristol County Water Authority.

gemery@projo.com