EASTHAMPTON — Home and business owners can expect to pay significantly more for water and sewer service over the next three fiscal years as the city moves to raise enough money to offset millions of dollars in upgrades to those systems.

With little public input throughout months of discussion, the Board of Public Works has approved a 14.44% rate increase to the city’s water and sewer utility rates for fiscal 2024, which begins July 1. The board also approved utility rate increases for fiscal 2025 and 2026. The annual increase for a typical customer will increase 33.6% from fiscal 2023 to fiscal 2025, and increase approximately 54% from fiscal 2023 to fiscal 2026.

With the typical city water and sewer customer using 1,500 cubic feet per quarter, the average bill next fiscal year will go up about $20.15 per quarter, or about $80 a year, according to estimates prepared by Tighe & Bond, who consults the city.

For fiscal 2025, the typical city water and sewer customer will see an annual increase to their bill of $107, or $26.75 quarterly. For fiscal year 2026, the typical city water and sewer customer will see an annual increase to their bill of $114.60, or $28.65 quarterly.

Capital expenses are generally the biggest driver of rate increases, according to Department of Public Works Director Greg Nuttelman.

“The rates are where we need them to be to get some of the infrastructure improvements moving and to start making the integrated water resource management planning become a reality,” he said.

At the board’s public hearing last week, members voted to increase the sewer base fee next fiscal year by $1.50 to $11.25, and increase the usage fee per 100 cubic feet by 80 cents to $5.90.

The water base fee was increased by 65 cents to $5.15, and the usage fee per 100 cubic feet by 40 cents to $3.65.

“Every aspect of our utility infrastructure has improvements that need to be made,” said Nuttelman. “The vast majority of our sewers are 80-plus-years-old.”

One of the “sticking points” in the rate setting process is that bills continue to drop as a result of water savings or water conservation, says Thomas Malsbury, chair of the BPW. Costs, on the other hand, are continuously going up, he said.

“Basically, we’re trying to keep ahead of the curve for incurring costs and incurring debt,” he said.

Among the projects on the docket related to the city’s sewer are the Hendrick Street pump station improvements with an estimated start year of 2028, which is estimated to cost $1.35 million; and the pump station elimination project that will likely include Ballard Street, Lownds Avenue, Pomeroy Street, and East Street pump stations, which has an estimated start date of 2025 and is estimated to cost $3.56 million.

Several projects include responding to years of deferred maintenance, said Malsbury. “None of these are ‘vanity’ projects or wishful spending, it’s purely just to keep a 100-plus-year-old system operating and updated,” Malsbury said.

Emily Thurlow can be reached at ethurlow@gazettenet.com.]]>