Gwinnett County water and sewer rates will go up beginning Jan. 1 — and will continue to rise for the next decade.

The 2021 increase of 30 cents per 1,000 gallons of water used and 49 cents per 1,000 gallons of sewer are just the first of six increases planned between January and 2031.

The increases are needed because demand for growth is outpacing the county’s sewer capacity, said Lisa Willis, the deputy director over Gwinnett’s bond delivery program. Through early December, 39 development projects were approved in the county contingent on additional sewer capacity.