At their meeting Thursday, the Mount Vernon Utilities Commission discussed a rate schedule increase to meet Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA) wastewater compliance mandates, which will be presented to city council members later this month.
Estimates show the proposed rate increase would cost city residents $35 a year, while the increase for those living outside the city limits would be approximately $49 a year.
The state EPA issued the mandates in 2019, which largely pertain to phosphorus levels.
As stated in the city’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit, “New effluent limits are not proposed at this time. However, a phosphorous optimization treatment system is proposed for the Mount Vernon WWTP (Wastewater Treatment Plant), with a schedule of compliance, to reduce total phosphorous concentrations in the facility’s final effluent discharge.”
The receiving water is the Kokosing River, and the subsequent stream network includes the Walhonding, Muskingum and Ohio rivers.
The last wastewater rate increases took place in 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2017, and there is not enough revenue under current rates to fund the mandated projects, which need to get underway soon, commissioners said.
“At a certain point you run the risk of the EPA stepping in,” City Engineer Brian Ball said.
The meeting discussion focused on finding an optimal set of rates that would be as painless as possible to residents’ finances.
A five-year rate change, starting with a 15% increase and decreasing to 10%, is expected to be presented to the city council at its Nov. 23 meeting.
“I’m convinced that 15% is the minimum increase we need to really start to prepare for all these activities; we’ve got to be solvent,” Commissioner Keith Burley said.
An expected $500,000 grant is expected to cover some of the deficit. Without the increase, there would be a negative balance of roughly $1 million in the wastewater budget.
The 48-month Phosphorous Optimization Treatment System compliance schedule would contain incremental milestones including:
- Beginning the treatment system design
- Design approval
- PTI (permit-to-install) submission to OEPA
- Commence construction
- Complete construction
- Implementation of the treatment system.
“We are in dire need of an increase in our wastewater rates,” Richard Dzik, Mount Vernon Safety-Service director, said; adding that the proposal can be adjusted as necessary by the council in any given year.
.webp)
.webp)
