2013 Annual Report - Utilities Committee

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2013 Utilities Committee Summary Committee Members: Valerie Schey (Chair), Oliver Davis (Vice- Chair), Henry Davis, Karen White Citizen Member: Carol Davis Oversight Role: Oversees activities &, issues involving enterprise funds hears waterworks and sewer operation requests. Summary: The Long Term Control Plan (LTCP) to reduce the number of combined sewer overflows (CSO) project was the key focus of the Utilities Committee in 2013. Early in 2014 the Council and Administration will be continuing our discussion of the proposed sewer rate increases. Under the current proposal, most homeowners will be paying $57 /month for sewer service by 2017 (as compared to the current $40 /month). The proposed rate increases are coming before Council as part of an on -going effort to pay for the LTCP to reduce the number of CSOs we have each year. While all agree that, per the EPA mandate, we do not want raw sewage running into our river, there are many who believe that there needs to be further discussion about ways to lower the escalating cost and in turn the proposed sewer rate increases for this project. Many have suggested that changing what we do "above ground" (i.e.: green infrastructure) could dramatically change what we have to do below the surface (i.e.: grey infrastructure). Likewise, with the bulk of the expense of this project coming in the form of grey infrastructure, preliminary data suggests that we can reduce the cost for our citizens by "going green ". At the August 26th Utilities Committee update of the CSO LTCP, it was estimated that the cost (2013 dollars) for the Phase 2 Collection System Controls will be approximately $245 Million (for 7 storage tanks, storage conduit & parallel interceptor). Alternatively, it has been suggested that implementing strategies and products that allow storm water to sink usefully into the ground can provide multiple benefits including (most notably) significant cost savings for citizens. For 1