From 1 August 2026, a new tariff for centralised water supply and wastewater services will come into force in Lviv. The corresponding decision was adopted by the executive committee of the Lviv City Council. Following the review, the total cost of services will be UAH 56.38 per 1 m³ and, according to Lviv Municipal Water Utility “Lvivvodokanal”, this figure will remain one of the lowest among Ukrainian cities.
The new tariff consists of UAH 36.04 per 1 m³ for water supply and UAH 20.34 per 1 m³ for wastewater services. The previous price had been in effect since 2022 and amounted to UAH 25.88 per cubic metre. During this period, the company's costs for electricity (by almost 1.7 times), fuel, reagents and wages have risen significantly.
“Lvivvodokanal” emphasises that the new tariff has been calculated solely to cover current operating costs — energy resources, wages, fuel and reagents. It does not include an investment component that would allow for large-scale modernisation of the networks.
For an indicative calculation: a resident who consumes 3 m³ of water per month will pay approximately UAH 92 more than at present. For a family with monthly consumption of 9 m³, the amount will increase by around UAH 275. The final payment will depend on the actual volume of water used.
Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi noted that the previous tariff no longer covered even the company's basic costs, so the city was forced to revise the price, but set the minimum necessary rather than a fully economically justified tariff, in order to ensure a stable water supply.
The Director of Lviv Municipal Water Utility “Lvivvodokanal”, Dmytro Vankovych, recalled that Lviv has one of the most complex water supply systems in Ukraine. Due to the city's location on the Main European Watershed, water has to be transported over long distances via trunk pipelines, which requires high electricity consumption and constant maintenance. According to him, the tariff of UAH 56.38 will cover only energy costs, wages, fuel and reagents.
Even after the increase, Lviv's tariff remains one of the lowest in the country. According to the company, a number of cities already have significantly higher tariffs: in Uman — UAH 158.33/m³, Borodianka — UAH 139.34/m³, Uzhhorod — UAH 91.24/m³, Ternopil — UAH 87.33/m³, Drohobych — UAH 87.30/m³, Vinnytsia — UAH 81.01/m³, Kryvyi Rih — UAH 78.47/m³, Lutsk — UAH 67.42/m³, Chernivtsi — UAH 63.56/m³, Cherkasy — UAH 56.88/m³, while in Lviv it is UAH 56.38/m³.
The Chair of the Supervisory Board of Lviv Municipal Water Utility “Lvivvodokanal”, Sviatoslav Pavliuk, stressed that the task of the supervisory body is to ensure that the funds received from the tariff are used strictly for their intended purpose, primarily to pay for electricity, labour, fuel and reagents. The company must report regularly and publicly on its expenditure and performance.
Residents for whom payment for housing and utility services represents an excessive financial burden are eligible to apply for a housing subsidy. The Head of the Subsidy Department of the Main Directorate of the Pension Fund of Ukraine, Vasyl Helbych, explained that the subsidy covers all housing and utility services, including water supply and wastewater services, and that in the event of a tariff change its amount is recalculated automatically once the new prices come into force.
Citizens who already receive a subsidy will have their level of state support increased without any additional applications. Those who believe that the tariff increase will significantly affect their household budget can apply for a subsidy. It is granted within the framework of state social norms: for water supply and wastewater services, the state compensates the cost of approximately 1.5–2 m³ of services per person.
The right to a housing subsidy is granted to citizens with low incomes who cannot independently pay the full cost of housing and utility services. Most often these are pensioners, persons with disabilities, large families and low-income households. The subsidy is granted for one calendar year — from May of the current year to May of the following year.
A subsidy can be arranged both offline and online: at Pension Fund service centres, Administrative Service Centres (CNAPs), local self-government bodies or territorial communities, as well as via the web portal of the Pension Fund of Ukraine, the “Diia” app or by post.
“Lvivvodokanal” adds that work to replace water supply networks is ongoing, funded by municipal programmes, borrowed finance and the company's internal resources. In particular, the replacement of one kilometre of the trunk water main from the western group water intakes, which supplies water to a significant part of Lviv, including the Zaliznychnyi district, is nearing completion. The renewal of the water main in Zelena Street, 147–153, is also continuing.
Until 2020, around 10–12 km of water mains were replaced annually in Lviv. Since 2022, thanks to changes in the organisation of work, this figure has risen to 33–34 km of networks per year. Today, “Lvivvodokanal” is among the top five water utilities in Ukraine in terms of the volume of network replacement.