Southmont sewer rates double

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November 22, 2009

By Mike Faher The Tribune-Democrat Sun Nov 22, 2009, 10:38 PM EST

A massive, ongoing sewer project continues to take a financial toll on local communities – and on their residents.

There is no exception in Southmont Borough, where officials have decided to double sewer rates for the second time in two years.

Borough Manager Rich Wargo said the increase to $96 annually, which will take effect for 2010, is necessary to cover expensive and extensive sewer work throughout the West Hills community.

“It will generate enough revenue so that we can do that work without having to impact taxes or dig into the general fund,” Wargo said.

The issue is the same throughout the 20-municipality Johnstown Regional Sewage system. The state Department of Environmental Protection has ordered that community leaders find and eliminate sources of “inflow and infiltration” – surface water running into sewer lines.

In wet weather, that water overloads the sewer system and leads to the discharge of untreated waste into area waterways.

“It’s a directive, and and it’s a mandate from DEP,” Wargo said. “If you don’t do what they tell you, then the consequences are fines.”

Southmont officials have divided their initial efforts into three phases over three years.

Along with visual inspections and dye testing of individual properties, crews must clean and conduct video inspections of all borough sewer lines.

If a home is found to have illegal connections to the sewer system – for instance, gutters tied into the sanitary sewer – it is the property owner’s responsibility to remove those connections.

But Southmont officials also are making a sizable investment from borough coffers. Wargo estimated sewer spending at $58,000 last year, $65,000 this year and $81,000 next year.

And if repairs on borough-owned lines are needed, the project’s total cost could escalate.

So Southmont’s “sewer rent and maintenance fee” – not to be confused with the monthly treatment bills sent by Johnstown Regional Sewage – was raised from $24 to $48 annually for 2008.

Borough Council last week authorized another jump from $48 to $96 per year.

Residents receive a combined bill for garbage collection and the borough’s sewer charge, and they pay in two installments.

With the annual sewage bill now at $96 and garbage staying steady at $120, residents will pay two $108-dollar installments next year.

Such rate hikes have been common lately as municipalities attempt to tackle their portion of the sewer work, said Ron Repak of Johnstown Redevelopment Authority.

The authority, which owns the Dornick Point sewage-treatment plant in West Taylor Township, has been working with community leaders throughout the regional system.

“For the most part, nearly all of those municipalities have made progress in complying with the DEP mandates,” Repak said.

That’s important, Repak said, because deadlines are fast approaching.

“There’s a substantial amount of work that has to be complete by the end of 2010,” he said.

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