The Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission wants to charge residents in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties 7.5 percent more in the coming fiscal year to address the agency’s deteriorating infrastructure.
The rate increase — approximately $4.86 per month for a customer using 210 gallons of water per day — would make fiscal 2013 the fifth consecutive year that residents in the neighboring suburbs saw increased bills.
Two-thirds of the proposed rate increase is driven by a proposed $796.9 million construction budget, which represents a 40.8 percent increase over last fiscal year. The rest results from a desired 5.6 percent increase in the agency’s operating budget, which includes 2 percent cost of living increases and merit increases for all employees.
Accounting for more than a quarter of the construction expenses is a $229 million sewer reconstruction program, for which $208 million is allocated for the current six-year budget. In the same six-year period, about $608 million will be spent on $1.5 billion worth of improvements at the Regional Blue Plains Wastewater Treatment Plant, which is located in the District but serves the Maryland suburbs.
The agency plans to replace 41 miles of pipe out of its total of 111,000 miles this year, said General Manager and Chief Executive Officer Jerry Johnson.
The improvements being made will help prevent incidents like the water main break that flooded River Road in December 2010 and required the Montgomery County fire department to rescue several stranded drivers, he said. That month saw 647 breaks and leaks, a record high, according to budget documents.
“This is what catching up after years of being behind looks like,” said GiGi Godwin, president of the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce. “We’re having to make up for years of lost time.”
Though some people will feel improvements, such as with better water pressure, as a result of the investments, “most of what we do people never see,” Johnson said.
But residents do feel the effects of construction. At a meeting of the Montgomery County Council’s Transportation, Infrastructure, Energy and Environment Committee Thursday, some council members expressed frustration with the speed at which projects are being completed.
“I really would like to get this done before I die,” said Councilwoman Nancy Floreen, D-at-large.
Johnson pointed to inadequate funding to explain some delays.
Both Montgomery and Prince George’s lawmakers must approve the WSSC’s budget request, which will likely happen in May.
