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 The Ohio EPA is mandating major improvements to the City’s
water and wastewater systems.
These projects include construction of an off-stream
raw water reservoir ($23 million), and water pollution control
center improvements ($88 million).
The primary reason for the construction of a reservoir
is due to the recurring problem of nitrates in our water (figure 1). Nitrates pose
a potentially fatal health risk to our children under the age
of six months. A
secondary concern is insufficient raw water storage in the
event of a drought.
City of Fremont, Ohio
NITRATE LEVELS (mg/L)
Figure 1
The wastewater system improvements are a requirement of the
EPA’s Clean Water Act regulations.
Under this law, our City is required to limit the
number of combined sewer overflows (CSO) into the Sandusky
River (figures 2 and 3).
The EPA is mandating Fremont to reduce CSO’s from the
current average of 50 events per year to 4 events per year or
less.
Under Ohio law, water and sewer funds must be self supporting.
In other words, water and sewer rates must cover all of
the utility’s expenses.
Figure 2
Figure 3
In 2009, the City conducted a water and sewer rate study to
develop a fair and equitable rate structure to meet these
added expenses. Current
projections from this study predict that without future
support from State and Federal agencies, water rates will have
to be increased by 8%, 6%, 6%, 4% and 4% per year over the
next 5 years. Sewer
rates will need to be increased by 13% per year over the next
8 years as a result of these EPA mandates.
The study also recommends that the City establish fixed
monthly debt service charges based on a customer’s water
meter size to help finance the improvements.
In 2010, this “EPA debt service” charge for the
water improvements is projected to be $6 per month for a
residential customer with a 5/8-inch water meter.
Another $6 per month “EPA debt service” charge for
residential sewer customers, increasing incrementally to $30
per month in 2014, is also projected.
The City has fought for and received grants totaling over $16
million, allowing us to implement some of our utility
infrastructure needs. With
these grants, less debt has to be assumed for the EPA
mandates, reducing the size of utility rate increases and
resulting in tremendous savings for our customers.
We will continue to aggressively pursue grant monies
wherever possible to minimize the financial impact of these
future mandates.
Our senators and congressional representative in Washington,
DC have been very supportive of our requests for assistance.
We ask you to contact them, along with Governor Ted
Strickland to tell your story about how these rate increases
will affect you and your family.
U.S. Senator George
Voinovich
senator_voinovich@voinovich.senate.com
U.S. Senator Sherrod
Brown
senator_brown@brown.senate.gov
U.S. Representative
Robert Latta
www.latta.house.gov/Contact/
Governor Ted Strickland
www.governor.ohio.gov/Default.aspx?tabid=150
A
copy of the information above can be downloaded by clicking
here
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