River Heights hikes sewer charges in response to Logan increase
February 25th, 2010 Posted in OpinionBy Tyson Thorpe
RIVER HEIGHTS–The City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to raise River Heights residents’ sewer rates to $19.05 a month. Resolution 1-2010 was passed to increase the sewer rates, which are retroactive to Jan. 1, in response to a raise in sewer rates in Logan.
“Our rate is tied directly to Logan’s rate,” Mayor Bill Baker saidexplaining the increase.
Councilwoman Kathryn Hadfield said River Heights uses Logan’s sewer system. “We collect the money, but we pay Logan city to use the sewer,” she said.
The rates will increase 9.5 percent, Councilman Robert Gines said. That will bring the old fee of $17.40 up to $19.05 per month.
Gines and James Brackner, the city treasurer, worked on the numbers to come up with the new sewer rate.
River Heights residents will be notified of the raise and given an explanation of its necessity through the city’s Web site, newsletter and on their bi-monthly bills, Baker said.
Baker said Logan raised its sewer rates to start gathering funds to pay for the future cleaning of Cutler Reservoir, which is on the west side of Cache Valley.
Hadfield said the reservoir was originally a storm collection area, but EPA officials claim sewage is putting too much potassium into Cutler Reservoir.
Baker said the State Department of Environmental Quality is treating the reservoir like a protected wildlife fishery. This has caused the state to require a potassium clean-up of the Cutler Reservoir.
Herm Olsen, councilman on the Logan City Council, wrote in an e-mail that the cleanup would cost between $150 million and $200 million. Logan officials hope to avoid those costs by using bio-algae growth in the lagoon system, Olsen wrote.
NW
2 Responses to “River Heights hikes sewer charges in response to Logan increase”
By Jon on Mar 3, 2010
Hopefully the bio-algae will be sufficient to help avoid even more costs.
By Mike on Mar 5, 2010
Last time they raised sewer rates they said they would do the same thing and “clean up the reservoir”. We’ll see.