Amherst Finance Committee backs plan for steep water, sewer rate hikes

AMHERST — With the Finance Committee advising the “worst is yet to come” for the town’s aging sewer system, members are unanimously supporting steep increases to the town’s proposed sewer and water rates.

A memo from the committee to the full Town Council, brought to the June 2 meeting, states that it is “necessary and reasonable” to adopt the plan Town Manager Paul Bockelman brought forward this spring.

The proposed water rate would go from $5.25 per 100 cubic feet to $6.45 per 100 cubic feet and the sewer rate would go from $5.85 per 100 cubic feet to $6.95 per 100 cubic feet beginning on July 1. Those changes represent charges for water users rising by nearly 23% and charges for sewer users rising by almost 19%. That means an increase for water users of about $9.17 per month and for sewer users of about $8.44 per month.

The Finance Committee recommendation came after a meeting with Department of Public Works Superintendent Guilford Mooring. A vote to set the rates is expected at the council’s June 16 meeting.

“Having heard the background in the memo originally sent to the council and in our meetings with DPW, we all agreed these are necessary,” District 1 Councilor and Finance Committee Chairwoman Cathy Schoen said.

In addition to paying for basic infrastructure and employee salaries, Schoen said the Finance Committee members understand that the sewer system is facing challenges, with parts of the wastewater treatment plant obsolete and sludge hauling costs going up at a high rates, and disposing of the sludge more challenging due to the presence of PFAS, or forever chemicals.

The sewer system has also shown its wear and tear recently with sinkholes forming in two locations, one off Greenleaves Drive that temporarily displaced tenants in a Hadley apartment building.

Mooring said a multiyear “slip lining” project is underway to fix the pipes in the most serious condition.

One of the bigger issues also being addressed is the siphon on Seelye Street, running under the Fearing Brook in downtown Amherst and heading toward South Amherst before looping back. This causes regular backups due to grease, a growing problem for all sewer pipes.

“We’re having a lot of issues with grease,” Mooring said.

Mooring said a replacement is being designed for the downtown pipe that will rely on gravity rather than the siphon. “The siphon kind of builds up grease,” he said.

Schoen suggested that her colleagues, if they haven’t already, tour the wastewater treatment plant, calling it “aging infrastructure in action.”

The committee’s memo notes that: “During our discussion, DPW staff emphasized that there will be a need for a substantial investment in the near future as the plant is old and vulnerable pipes require lining to restore integrity. The future investment needed will likely be in the multi-million dollars.”

The water infrastructure is being improved, executing recommendations in a consultants plan, such as the rebuilding of the Centennial Water Treatment Plant in Pelham at a cost of $21 million, though the water rates haven’t yet been adjusted to cover the debt payments for that.

Scott Merzbach can be reached at [email protected].