One of the City of Rock-dale’s biggest fears in proposing its $63-million-plus water and sewer overhaul was that the city would start incurring fines from state and federal agencies before a plan was in in place.
It now appears the first successful step in dodging those fines has been taken.
City Manager Chris Whittaker said Rockdale has been advised in two separate communications that state regulators have taken the first steps toward endorsing the city’s plan to remedy the well-publicized water situation.
In a letter to the Texas Water Development Board, Cari-Michel La Caille, director of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality’s (TCEQ) Water Supply Division said a study has determined the city “has the financial, managerial and technical capacity to proceed with the proposed project.”
It adds: “The proposed project will assist the City of Rockdale in becoming compliant with TCEQ rules and regulations.”
‘VALIDATION’—“We have also heard from the TCEQ, in a letter to KSA, our engineering firm, that they ‘support’ our effort,” Whittaker said.
That’s important since fear of fines by state and federal agencies has loomed over the city’s efforts to improve a water system termed “failing” by Whittaker last fall.
Earlier this month the city council gave unanimous approval to an initial $10-million expenditure to fund the planning and design phase of an overhaul which will include $48-million in water and $15-million plus in sewer expenditures.
“We feel the TCEQ comments were the first steps in the process to validate our plan,” Whittaker said. “This is going to go forward step by step.”
Another step will be signing a contract with KSA Engineers to begin preparing the planning and design documents.
RATES—As part of the overall plan the first rate hikes for Rockdale water customers will begin in March. Whittaker said the April bills will show the full initial effect for 2019.
The often-quoted “average” increase figures, from a rate study prepared for the city, show rates going from the current $73.94 to $106.69 this year and $177.63 in 2023.
But that’s an “average” customer using an “average” amount of water, 6,000 gallons per month.
That individual probably doesn’t exist. What’s certain is that rates are going up depending upon each customer’s specific monthly usage.
WILD CARDS—There are still plenty of wild cards which could affect the actual increase totals, perhaps even dropping the amount of increases from the well-publicized rate study.
Chief among the wild cards is the possibility of purchasing already-treated water from outside sources.
Those already mentioned are Southwest Milam, Blue Water and Aqua.
Whittaker has been discussing possibilities with those companies. “I’m anticipating them making presentations before the city council in April,” he said.
The pros and cons of such an agreement are yet to be hashed out.
Buying already treated water from an outside entity would alleviate much of the expense of water treatment, including building a new water plant and upgrading another.
But, Whittaker pointed out, an agreement would also tie city customers to an outside entity’s rates.
“It’s going to be a decision for the council to make,” he said. “It might involve another rate study.”
The original rate study’s numbers were based on essentially no growth for Rockdale in upcoming years.
Should the city grow, with more water customers, that would “spread around” the increases for individual connections, resulting in increases not as large as forecast.
METERS—One sign the overall program has begun is the interest already seen from some customers in taking up the city on its meter replacement offer.
Since the new rates are based on a 3/4-inch meter standard—with higher rates for those with larger diameter meters—the city is offering to switch those larger meters out for free and charge customers at the 3/4-inch rate in the interim.
Whittaker said about 20 persons have already contacted the city to request they be included in the program.
He noted, however, there are restrictions on who is eligible for the switch-out.
Whittaker noted the offer does not extend to residents who have separate meters, larger than 3/4-inch for lawn watering, or to large businesses who require a larger meter as a matter of necessity.
See editorial, page 4A.
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