Alberton proposes increases
ALBERTON - Residents of Alberton will see a sewer rate increase as of August 1, unless public input from residents puts a stop to it.
On June 3, the Alberton Town Council voted to increase the rates by 43 percent for systems with a 3/4 -inch water meter system with current service, and 75 percent for the same water system without current service.
“The rate increase comes as we are in the process of a major sewer project,” said Dianne Jodsaas, Alberton town clerk and treasurer.
Jodsaas said the project has been in the works for a few years, and that the project will upgrade Alberton’s existing sewer system, which will be underway this summer.
The last upgrade for the current wastewater treatment facility was in 2000, according to a March report by the Montana Department of Environmental Quality. The report described the improvements as necessary to allow the town to meet its discharge permit limits.
The existing facility has had difficulty meeting permit limits for E. Coli among other contaminants.
The estimated cost for the project is $605,870, which includes construction cost, engineering, and administration. To help with the funding, Alberton has secured a grant for $292,000 from the Montana Department of Commerce, Treasure State Endowment Program, and a $100,000 grant from the Montana Department of Natural Resources, RRGL program.
Alberton will contribute approximately $18,370 from its own budget toward the project, with any remaining balance to be covered by a 20-year loan from DEQ.
The financial impact of this project is projected to increase the average residential sewer service rate from $33.16 per month to approximately $47 per month.
The DEQ estimates that based on Environmental Protection Agency guidelines the proposed rates are not expected to impose a financial burden on households in the community because it does not exceed two percent of the median household income.
“The increases are permanent, unless another upgrade is needed we don’t have to do this again,” Jodsaas said. “This hasn’t happened in a long time.”
The need for the upgrade was deemed essential as some of the contaminants that leave the town of Alberton end up in the Clark Fork River outside of town. Although minimal, the reduction of any such contaminants will help to protect the watershed and wildlife.
If nothing was to be done on the existing system, it would mean a more expensive upgrade in the future, as would the ability to prevent any unwanted contaminants from entering the town water supply.
The increase applies to all customers regardless of the size of their existing water and sewer system.
On July 1, the Alberton Town Council will hold a 7 p.m. meeting at the Alberton Town Hall, where a public hearing will be conducted to listen to comments from the community regarding the increase.
Even though the meeting is being provided, the increases have likely already been locked in for the foreseeable future.
Further information about the proposed rate increase may be obtained by contacting Diane Jodsaas, town clerk and treasurer at 722-3404.