HATFIELD — A typical residential sewer and water customer could pay at least $130 more for the services annually beginning July 1 if rate adjustments are implemented by the Select Board.
A hearing on the proposed increases, a 25% jump for sewer rates and a 5% increase for water rates, will be held Feb. 18 at 6 p.m. in the William A. Belden Training Room at the Emergency Services Building, 59 Main St.
The recommendations for the new rates, which are significantly higher than the customary 2% annual adjustments, come from a study completed by DPC Engineering LLC of Longmeadow.
DPC President David Prickett told the board at a recent meeting that the new rates will help pay for operations and maintenance, as well as some of the capital needs. Capital projects for water and sewer have typically been funded from general taxation, rather than users.
In the case of the sewer system, the large rate increase is to set the stage for accessing a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for a proposed $12 million capital plan to upgrade the wastewater treatment plant, which is nearly 40 years old.
The sewer rate would go from $7.11 per 100 cubic feet to $8.89 per 100 cubic feet, costing the average household user an additional $9.40 a month. That would mean a household with a typical bill of $454 per year would see that go up to $567.
Prickett said the increase in sewer rates is a typical way to ensure that a grant can be obtained because USDA requires that these rates be set at more than 1% of median household income. Prickett said Deerfield did a similar adjustment to access a grant.
The water rate change is smaller, in part because there are more limited capital needs, including some water main replacement, water main construction, and upgrades to Omasta Well.
The water rate would go from $4.45 per 100 cubic feet to $4.67 per 100 cubic feet, adding an additional $1.70 per month for the average household user.
For more information about the proposals, go to https://www.townofhatfield.org/home/news/proposed-water-sewer-rates.
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.
