(Milford)– Customers of the Iowa Great Lakes Sanitary District will be seeing an increase in sewer rates effective this coming July 1st. Sanitary District Superintendent Steve Anderson says trustees recently approved the increase following a public hearing…
“The current rate, base charge rate for anybody just connected to the sewer system is $60.00 a year and then it’s $1.35 for every thousand of gallons that’s going to get used, that’s what it was, and it’s going up to $72 on an annual basis and then $1.75 for every thousand gallons used. So if you look at that on the annual base charge use, it’s going up a dollar a month is what it’s doing there. So that’s the rate that’s going to be for people that are on a metered system.”
Anderson goes on to explain how unmetered accounts will be affected…
“We have to estimate the water usage on those and so the estimated water usage for a year on those units will be 50,000 gallons but it’s still going to be based off the same annual base charge which will be $72.00 a year and then $1.75 for every thousand gallons used.”
Among those seeing the largest impact will be campgrounds and R-V parks. Anderson says those will be going to a flat rate of $250 per unit, per year.
He says it’s the first time the Sanitary District has adjusted rates since 2007. Meanwhile, he says the system has continued to grow, along with maintenance and operational costs. The Iowa Great Lakes Sanitary District has around 70 miles of gravity sewer lines; about 30 miles of force main pipe; 64 lift stations and more than 2,000 manholes…
“When you think about it we’re managing the sewer system from the south end of Milford all the way up to the Minnesota border and then basically the width east and west, you go from the west side of West Okoboji and east side of East Okoboji and Big Spirit Lake. It’s a fairly sizable area that we’re managing the wastewater from.”
Anderson adds the Sanitary District has a capital improvement plan in place and that the trustees are constantly updating that to keep pace with the growth in the area.
