Good News About Sewer Rates?

For once, there is some good news about sewer rates: The early finish of a plant in Pennsylvania may ease rates for customers.

"The $26.1 million overhaul of an Abingtons wastewater treatment plant could finish four to five months ahead of schedule, potentially saving ratepayers in three communities thousands of dollars," the Scranton Times-Tribune reported.

The plant upgrades are pegged to finish this fall, instead of early next year.

An early finish would mean the Abington Regional Wastewater Authority would not have to borrow as much money from banks, the report said. The plant treats sewage from Clarks Green, Clarks Summit, and South Abington Township.

The construction work at the Pennsylvania plant is designed to keep phosphorus and nitrates out of environmental waters.

"The project is designed to bring the plant into compliance with a federal mandate that aims to reduce the levels of nitrates and phosphates discharged into local waterways. Water from Leggett’s Creek eventually reaches the Chesapeake Bay, where pollution has threatened a number of plant and animal species by reducing oxygen levels in water and preventing sunlight from penetrating deep beneath the surface," the report said.

Davis, the chief plant operator, stressed the significance of the potential savings.

“We would be saving thousands of dollars, there’s no doubt about that,” he said, per the report. “It will translate into less payment from municipalities, which will translate into less payment per individual sewer user.”

When sewer rates drop, the situation bucks national trends. Nationally, "all indications are that water and wastewater rates will continue to increase," according to a presentation by the American Public Works Association.