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Sewer rates climb 20 percent in Dale City
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Related Topics: Prince William County
Prince William County (Map, News) - The state approved a nearly 20 percent increase in sewer rates for the private water utility company serving about 19,000 homes and businesses in Prince William County.
Dale Service Corp. requested the rate increase to help pay for its rising costs and systems improvements, but local politicians opposed the spike, saying it is too much for residents to bear.
"We've had some [customers] get upset and some that haven't, the normal way everybody reacts when something goes up," company President Norris Sisson said. "It's like gas prices going up - you either stop driving or you pay."
The State Corporation Commission, the agency that regulates Virginia's utilities, approved the increase last month. The new rates have gone into effect.
Because most Dale City residents can't afford to stop using their sewer services, some have been pushing local representatives to resist future increases.
But politicians have little power to act since the company is privately owned.
"It's always a source of frustration when private companies seek higher rates because folks feel like they don't have enough ability to provide input," said Supervisor Martin Nohe, R-Coles, whose district includes part of Dale City. "We have more retired folks and more young families, more people on fixed incomes than anywhere else in the county."
The increase comes as the private company that provides drinking water to the area, Virginia American Water, is pursuing a 16 percent increase in its rates.
While Sisson said he understands the concerns customers have, the company needs to increase its rates to pay for the higher costs of electricity and chemicals, as well as to meet stricter environmental standards.
The sewage treatment facility began an expensive upgrade last year to reduce its nitrogen pollution as part of the limits designed to improve the health of the Chesapeake Bay, he said.
"We have to meet our new limits that come up in 2011 for cleaning the Bay."
Comments from Examiner Readers
8:40 AM MST on Mon., Apr. 7, 2008 re: "Sewer rates climb 20 percent in Dale City"
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FedupinVA said:
During a recession all of the utilities and taxes are going up??? The general consumer needs help and all the "big businesses" do is raise costs. We're heading for a depression before long.
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