Water Commissioners gathering input on rate increase

Date: 12/7/2009

By Courtney Llewellyn

Reminder Assistant Editor



WILBRAHAM Even though the town's Water Commissioners only meet once a month, they have a lot of projects on their hands for the upcoming months, and to pay for those projects a rate increase may be needed.

The commission met last Wednesday at Town Hall to review upcoming projects, which include updating water lines in Colonial Acres, finishing the Miller Street corrosion control station and paying for usage rate increases from the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA). A public hearing was opened to gather input from residents on a proposed rate increase during the meeting.

Ed Miga, Department of Public Works (DPW) Superintendent, explained that updating the water lines in Colonial Acres is "absolutely necessary," as most of them date from 1948 and there have been seven water main breaks in that area in the past three years.

Annual Town Meeting approved $1.2 million for the project earlier this year, but the town hasn't gone to bid yet. If there are enough funds available, the money will also be used to replace lines on Brainard Road, which has pipes dating from 1946.

The Miller Street project has been ongoing since the mid-1990s, with town meeting voting to put $770,000 toward the work in 1997. Another $90,000 was approved at a town meeting this past year.

"The DEP [Department of Environmental Protection] is mandating that a new facility be built on Miller Street in Ludlow for corrosion control," Miga explained. An administrative consent order from the DEP states that the project must be completed by April 30, 2010. The funds to get the facility up and running are being included in Wilbraham's fiscal year 2011 (FY11) budget, but everything else in the water department will be level-funded.

As for actual water rate increases, the MWRA -- which utilizes the Quabbin Reservoir and serves mainly the eastern half of the state and only Wilbraham, Chicopee and South Hadley in the west -- has prices rising by 6.2 percent over last year. This means Wilbraham's bill for usage will total $582,597 next year, a $47,294 total increase.

The Water Commissioners were debating a five-cent rate increase for Wilbraham water users at their Dec. 2 meeting, but commissioner Jamie Dunbar said it made more sense to wait until they had all the information they needed before setting a new rate.

"I think we should do it all at once," he said. "Just rip the Band-Aid off. We know an increase will happen ... I don't think we should nickel and dime it."

Mike Framarin, Water Department Director, explained that if an increase is made, it must be done before meters are read in the spring. The town checks water meters on April 1 and Oct. 1.

The town's current rate is $2.90 per 100 cubic feet of water used.

The commission will continue the public hearing on rate increases at their next meeting, scheduled for Jan. 6 at 2 p.m. in Wilbraham Town Hall.