Combined water and sewer rates for most Bedford consumers will increase by about 9.7 percent beginning next week, thanks almost entirely to the sewer side of the equation.
The Select Board Monday approved amended charges assessed for bringing water into your house and sending it back for disposal.
The sewer rate increase was 15.9 percent. There’s a base charge for sewer connection that will increase from $60 to $72. Usage up to 2,000 cubic feet will be billed at $3.50 per 100 cubic feet, up from $3.30. The increase beyond 2,000 rises from $16.30 to $19.40 per 100 cubic feet.
The board also approved an increase in water rates of 0.6 percent. The base charge of $48 for water connection as well as $1.80 per 100 cubic feet consumed, up to 2,000, was not changed. The rate for water use that surpasses 2,000 cubic feet grows from $11.20 to $11.30 per 100 cubic feet.
The DPW allows the permitting and installation of separate meters for outdoor lawn and garden irrigation. Many property owners prefer a second meter for irrigation so they are billed only for water directed on a lawn or garden, avoiding the additional sewer main rate. The rate for irrigation remains at $14.60 per 100 cubic feet.
The changes were recommended by David Manugian, Director of the Department of Public Works, and Finance Director David Castellarin, based on several variables: consumption and expenses.
They said that for a standard residential bill reflecting consumption of 6,000 cubic feet of water in a year, the increase will be $84.
Rates are proposed so that revenue covers expenses based on projected consumption, Manugian explained at the meeting. Major expense categories are water purchase, MWRA sewer assessment, principal and interest on bonded debt, and related DPW salaries, materials, and equipment.
After the meeting, Manugian enumerated the main factors for the spike in the sewer rate: “a significant increase in electrical costs for the sewer pump stations;” a rate increase by the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority; and a lagging assessment that doesn’t reflect current reduced consumption.
Also, as more residents add irrigation meters, that revenue goes exclusively to the water account, he pointed out, while there is no saving in the cost associated with the sewer system.
Select Board member Paul Mortenson asked if the premium rate for irrigation is intended to encourage water conservation. Manugian said it’s more related to the demands on the system, since irrigation use “fluctuates wildly based on precipitation.”
He noted that the MWRA has said that its Quabbin Reservoir could accommodate metropolitan demand for five years, even if there’s no rainfall.
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