New sewer bills to see some pay more, others pay less

LANCASTER – A new way of calculating sewer bills could mean higher payments for some Fairfield County residents and lower payments for others.

Sewer bills will be tied to water bills, meaning the more water a person uses the higher his or her sewer bill will be; less water use will mean a lower bill. The flat rate fee will be eliminated for the 78 percent of users who get both water and sewer from the county. People who just get county sewer service will remain on the flat fee rate.

Utilities Director Tony Vogel said the idea is to make the billing process more fair to all.

"If you use more, you should pay more," he said.

The county bills utility users every three months, and the first bills of the new system will appear in October, November and December.

"By the end of the year, we will have everything changed over to the new billing cycle," Vogel said.

He said a number of customers were concerned, including two retired couples who thought their flat rate fee was too high for the water they used.

Vogel said he doubts the county will receive more revenue because people who use less water will offset those who use more. He also said people who get a higher bill will probably look at ways to cut down on consumption.

Vogel said some problems, such as a leaking toilet, will raise both the water and sewer bills because the latter will be related to the former.

"People think that it's just a little drip," he said. "But it can be significant over a three-month period. So any leak that they have in their faucet or toilet, those are problems. Don't put it off. Get it addressed."

Vogel said water softeners also can fail and raise water consumption.

Customers who have irrigation systems on their property will not pay higher sewer bills for water used for that purpose. That is because irrigation water does not come back to the water plant for treatment. Customers can use a deduct meter to determine the amount of water used for irrigation.

More information will be available at the utilities department website, www.co.fairfield.oh.us/util. Customers also will receive a letter from the county explaining the changes before they go into effect.

jbarron@lancastereaglegazette.com

740-681-4340

Twitter: @JeffDBarron