HONOLULU -- The city is sending out notices to customers that water and sewer fees will climb starting July 1.

The higher costs are in part to pay for upgrading aging systems, but for the first time in a long time, water users will be paying for a "fuel adjustment."

"What a lot of people don't realize is that all of our pumps run on electricity and they run 24-7 to pump the water to the reservoir, so when people turn on the tap they have water," Board of Water Supply spokeswoman Su Shin said.

The Honolulu Board of Water Supply needs to recover $5.6 million in electricity costs that ran over budget.

"It's been more than 20 years since we had to make this fuel cost adjustment," Shin said.

For an average family of four, it comes out to a $1.22 a month increase. Because you pay for your water two months at a time, that works out to about an additional $2.44 more.

Meanwhile, that is on top of another hike in water rates. Oahu is in the third year of a five-year scheduled hike. That schedule equals to 10 percent a year.

Now the city is adding a double-digit hike in sewer fees at 18 percent more.

The city said the basic sewer charge for a family of four in a single-family dwelling will go from about $43 to slightly more than $50. The actual charge will vary based on how much water you use.

"For 10 years there was no increase and unfortunately with no increase there wasn't much work done on the sewers. Now we are at a point where the work needs to be done and the money needs to be in place," city spokesman Bill Brennan said.

Brennan said there very little opposition when the sewer hike proposal came before the city council.

"I think the public realizes that 'I hate to pay it, but I'd hate to pay more if something like the Ala Wai disaster happens again,'" Brennan said.

The city said notices about the sewer hikes went out Wednesday.

Board of Water Supply customers began getting the heads up about the fuel adjustment fee last month.