Lakewood Residents See Changes to Sewer, Water Bills

LAKEWOOD, OH - Residents are seeing changes to their sewer bills this month. Last year, city council approved a rate hike to the city's water and sewer rates and now residents are seeing that increase on their bills.

The sewer rate was increased 11.5 percent, from $5.58 per ccf to $6.20 per ccf, which comes down to about $.83 per 100 gallons. The city's water rates increased a total of 10 cents, from $6.34 to $6.44 per ccf.

In a statement, the city says that the increase in rates is partly the result of deteriorating infrastructure and increasingly stringent EPA mandates. On the sewer side of things, the city says it must meet requirements set out in the Federal Clean Water Act of 1972.

"The city is currently modeling its sewer system to develop appropriate, cost-effective, and environmentally sound solutions to combined sewer overflows that can best integrate with other infrastructure efforts," a statement on the city's website says.

Flooding has been an issue along I-90 for years, now. As NewsNet 5 pointed out in May 2016, ODOT crews vacuuming up litter and other debris from clogged drainage pipes along the highway has become a familiar sight for some residents.

In fact, infrastructure issues are a concern for much of Ohio. The American Society of Civil Engineers suggests the state needs $14.2 billion in wastewater infrastructure work by 2020 and $12.2 billion in drinking water work by 2020. The ASCE also dolls out grades for a state's various infrastructures (wastewater, roads, bridges, etc.) and Ohio received a C- for its wastewater infrastructure.

For water, the city says more broadly that the increase will be used for "various capital improvement projects." The city's public works director says the city has the following projects planned for 2017.

• Replacing the water main on Brown Road from Madison to Lakewood Heights
• Replacing the water main on Lincoln from Detroit to Franklin
• Replacing the water main on Marlowe from Detroit to Madison
• Replacing the water main on Mars from Athens to Delaware

There is a Special Homestead Exemption that reduces water and sewer bill charges for any homeowner who is 65 years of age or older—or is permanently disabled—with a total household income below $35,000 per year.

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