Sewer rates rising by 10 percent

Sewer rates are going up again.
After hiking sewer rates by 6.5 percent last year, the city is eyeing a 10 percent increase for the coming fiscal year to help cover the $14 million tab for badly needed improvements in the Forestville section of town.
Brian Fowkes, who heads the sewer division, said Friday that the average quarterly bill will rise by $4.40, or a little less than $18 a year.
Even with the increase, the rate will remain “one of the lowest” rates in the region, Fowkes said.
For taxpayers who are already struggling to cope with soaring energy costs and creeping inflation, along with a property tax hike that will cost most homeowners at least $200 extra this year, the proposed sewer rate may raise more concern among residents than past increases.
A hearing is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 15 at City Hall to consider whether to follow through with the planned hike, which has been built into the municipal budget slated for adoption on May 19.
The city is facing the need to pay for a new sewer main, new pumps and a number of other upgrades to the sewer system that serves eastern Bristol.
The basic goal is to make sure that sewage flows to the treatment plant during heavy rains instead of flowing through the streets and basements of Forestville – and even into the Broad Street pump station itself.
Fowkes said the city has to “address the sewer overflows” that cause manholes to pop open during flooding.
Consultants found that the root cause is a bottleneck in the pipes between the pump station and the treatment plant, a situation that needs a 24-inch pipe to be added for a couple of miles.
A number of upgrades are also in the works for the pump station, including new, energy efficient pumps that should work much better and cut electrical costs.
Fowkes said that he’s not sure what the future holds in terms of more rate hikes.
That will depend on the city’s success in getting federal aid for the project, he said, as well as state environmental decisions that might force an overhaul and perhaps an expansion on the 22-year-old treatment plant, he said.
In addition to the rate hike, the city is increasing the cost of connecting to its sewer system from $850 to $1,000.
Fowkes said the fee is still “on the low side” compared to other communities. The increase reflects the reality that the treatment plant’s capacity can only stretch so far.
The new fees will go into effect on July 1.
The city maintains about 226 miles of sewers, some a century or more old. It also operates the treatment plant, 14 pumping stations and 5,600 manholes in town.

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Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com