9/23/16
by News Department on 09/23/16Sewer increase...
A large increase in sewer rates has been proposed for customers of the Tamaqua Borough Authority, the organization overseeing the operation of the borough’s wastewater treatment facility.
The request comes on the heels of an engineering review of the treatment facility by the engineering firm of Gannett Fleming that was completed last year.
The review identified approximately $8.7 million worth of improvements that need to be done to the facility. Additionally, a long-term control plan was updated and submitted to DEP in 2014. The changes and improvements that are required as part of that plan are estimated to cost another $1.3 million, bringing the total amount of funding the authority needs to about $10 million.
Currently, most homeowners are paying $65 per quarter or $260 annually. The authority is proposing a $20 per quarter increase be enacted for 2017, and then an additional $20 per quarter increase be added in 2018, bringing the quarterly payment to $105 and the annual payment to $420, almost double the current fees.
