Elkins City Council passed the final reading of two ordinances that will raise the water and sewer rates at Thursday night's meeting.
Elkins Mayor Duke Talbott said the sewer rate had to be increased because of previous administrations and councils not addressing issues with the Clean Water Act.
"This (sewer rate increase) comes from the sanitary board," Talbott said. "It comes from an issue from the past where no action was taken."
Talbott called on Elkins Operations Manager Bob Pingley to explain the issue further. Pingley said the Clean Water Act was passed in 1992, and in 1994 the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency developed a list of nine minimum controls that municipalities had to be in compliance with to reduce any events where sewer is dumped into the river from combined storm sewer and sanitary sewer systems.
"For some reason the city never came into compliance," Pingley said. "We were not in compliance with the Clean Water Act."
Pingley said a lawsuit between the city and the EPA was recently settled with a consent decree. The city has to pay fines and work on the sewer system over the next 15 years, he said.
"We have put a lot of time and money into the sewer system and the lawsuit," he said. "We are committed to a little over $2 million for the first phase of work and approximately $2 million for the second. It is going to be more involved in the future. We are pretty much under the direction of the Department of Environmental Protection and the EPA."
City Treasurer Lisa Daniels-Smith provided council a spreadsheet that shows what the city has paid for legal and engineering fees for the consent decree. The paperwork shows the city paying $315,072.03 with an additional $32,400 to be paid next year.
"It is a huge chunk of change for something that was never taken care of," she said.
Council approved both sets of rates, but Councilman Mark Scott, 3rd Ward, voted against the water increase. Scott and Councilman Bob Woolwine, 1st Ward, both voted against the sewer rate hike.
"I cannot vote for any increase in fees when we cannot see the improvements," Scott said. "Residents are not seeing any improvements, but their rates are increasing."
Under the current sewer rates, for the first 1,500 gallons used per month, customers are charged $7.07 per 1,000 gallons; for the next 248,500 gallons used, the charge is $7.07 per 1,000 gallons; and any usage exceeding 250,000 gallons, the charge is $2.81 per 1,000 gallons.
Under the first step of the increase, for the first 1,500 gallons used per month, customers are charged $9.43 per 1,000 gallons; for the next 248,500 gallons used, the charge is $8.10 per 1,000 gallons; and for any usage exceeding 250,000 gallons, the charge is $6 per 1,000 gallons.
Under the second step of the increase, which will go into effect on March 15, 2013, for the first1,500 gallons used per month, customers will be charged $10 per 1,000 gallons; for the next 248,500 gallons used, the charge will be $10 per 1,000 gallons; and for any usage exceeding 250,000 gallons, the charge will be $6 per 1,000 gallons.
Midland Public Service District will see a 19.86 percent increase from $2.39 to $2.86 under the first step of the increase and will pay $3.33 under the second step. Leadsville PSD will see an increase from $2.60 to $3.20 under the first step and then an increase to $3.75 under the second step.
Woolwine asked Pingley if the $8.5 million previous administrators spent to upgrade the sewer treatment plant was necessary.
"If it were me making the decision, I think the money could have been spent better elsewhere," Pingley responded. "It could have been used to fix the sewer system which would have brought us into compliance."
Talbott said the first step of the two-step water rate increase was needed to help pay increasing bills at the current water treatment plant and the second is to help pay for the construction of a new plant and distribution system upgrades.
"A lot of what we are paying today is for the current plant," he said. "Every part that goes into it has to be custom made and it is expensive."
Pingley said the reason for the first step is to help keep the water fund out of the red. He said increases in chemicals, gasoline and other materials are rising.
"Prices are sky rocketing," he said. "We are running harder to stay in the same place."
Currently, customers pay $8.34 per 1,000 gallons for the first 2,000 gallons of water; $4.45 per 1,000 gallons for the next 3,000 gallons; $3.84 per 1,000 gallons for the next 5,000 gallons of water; and $2.56 per 1,000 gallons for any usage exceeding 10,000 gallons.
Under the first step of the increase, customers will pay $9.50 per 1,000 gallons for the first 2,000 gallons of water; $6 per 1,000 gallons for the next 3,000 gallons; $3.52 per 1,000 gallons for the next 5,000 gallons of water; and $3.06 per 1,000 gallons for any usage exceeding 10,000 gallons.
Under the second increase, after construction is complete, rates would be: $12.25 per 1,000 gallons for the first 2,000 gallons of water; $9.90 per 1,000 gallons for the next 3,000 gallons; $9 per 1,000 gallons for the next 5,000 gallons of water; and $5.57 per 1,000 gallons for any usage exceeding 10,000 gallons.
Huttonsville, Leadsville and Midland PSDs will also see an increase in what they pay the city for water. The PSDs currently pay $1.82 per 5,000 gallons of water and under the first step it will increase to $2.83 per 1,000 gallons and then to $5.28 under the second step of the increase.
The rate increases will have be approved by the West Virginia Public Service Commission. The increases could be placed into effect in 45 days if there is no protest of the rates. If protested, the WVPSC will have 270 days to set the rates.
Contact Anthony Gaynor by email at agaynor@theintermountain.com.
