CLEARFIELD – With costs and fines from the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) increasing, residents of Lawrence Township will have to pay the costs.
At Tuesday’s meeting, the Lawrence Township Supervisors voted 2-1 in favor of raising the township’s sewer surcharge from $6.50 per thousand gallons to $7.75 per thousand gallons. Supervisors Bill Lawhead and Dan Mitchell voted in favor of the motion, while Supervisor Ed Brown voted against.
The motion came about due to discussion at previous meetings about the township needing to transfer money from the general fund to pay the sewer bills.
Brown said the township has had to transfer money each month and the money is repaid when the township receives money from sewer bills
“Right now, we have the luxury of being able to transfer money from the general fund,” Brown said. “If we weren’t able to do that, we would’ve had to take out a loan to pay the sewer bills. I just don’t see any other way.”
Brown said as things presently stand, the township is about $135,000 short in their sewer fund for next year. All the money collected by the sewer surcharge is deposited directly into the sewer fund for use paying off the expenses incurred by the township for their sanitary sewer improvement project.
Several years ago, the DEP issued a mandate to the Clearfield Municipal Authority to remove excess storm water from the sanitary sewer system. CMA owns the sewage treatment plant while many of the sewer lines are owned by the township and also by Clearfield Borough.
Due to the excess storm water, CMA is forced to open a sanitary sewage overflow located in Hyde, which allows the excess water and sewage to flow into the West Branch of The Susquehanna River. Each time CMA must discharge from the sanitary sewage overflow, they receive a fine from DEP. The township has agreed to pay 75 percent of the fines, while CMA pays 25 percent.
To help alleviate the excess storm water, both the township and the borough have undertaken sanitary sewer improvement projects.
The supervisors said due to the fines, increased debt payments, and the increased costs of enforcement to locate homeowners who have drains, downspouts and sump pumps illegally connected to the sanitary sewer system, they have no choice but to raise the rates.
The $1.25 per thousand gallon increase will generate an estimated $131,000. However, Brown voted against the increase because he feels that amount will not be enough to off-set next year’s expenses.
Brown had discussed increasing the surcharge by $1.50, but Lawhead and Mitchell disagreed.
“That’s just too much all at once,” Lawhead said. “I know the water rates and the CMA rates will be going up. Anytime we have to do something, we have to hit people in the wallet and that stinks.”
Lawhead proposed the $1.25 per thousand gallon increase under the caveat that another increase may be needed again next summer.
“The public isn’t going to like it, but they’re going to have to understand that we can’t pay the bills,” Brown said.