By Scott MacKeen
Contributor
8/14/08

(previous)
The new plan has been described as an effort to encourage water conservation.
Tier I includes the lowest volume users who use between 0 - 600 cubic feet (CF) of water or sewage per quarter. Tier II includes 601 - 3000 CF per quarter users; Tier III includes 3001 - 6000 CF per quarter users; and Tier IV includes 6000 CF per quarter users.
The lowest demand users (Tier I)
will see a 3.1 percent rate increase for FY09, with a rate of $4.03 per 100 cubic
feet of water use and $4.99 per 100
cubic feet of sewer use. The highest demand users (Tier IV) will see a
13.2 percent rate increase.
According to the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA), which supplies Milton with approximately 1 billion gallons of water annually, this is equal to a 6.4 percent overall rate increase - or $24 per household per quarter - for a family of four living in town. (See chart on page 10.)
The MWRA also runs the town’s sewer system.
The MWRA estimates a family of four will pay around $397 per quarter for water and sewage, up from around $373 per quarter last year.
In previous years, water and sewage ratepayers were classified within a two-tier system, with rates for higher and lower-use ratepayers. Public Works Director Walter Heller says the addition of middle tiers gives higher volume users a more obtainable goal for cutting usage.
“The four tier system is designed to encourage conservation,” he told Selectmen. “The goal is (to have residents) use less water and to give them the incentives to get into a lower rate bracket.”
Water in town comes from Quabbin Reservoir, 65 miles west of Boston, and Wachusett Reservoir, 35 miles west of Boston. The reservoirs provide about 250 million gallons of high quality water each day.
The MWRA reports a 10.6 percent increase in water assessment for Milton (from $2.2 million in FY08 to around $2.4 million for FY09), which Heller says is good news in the face of recent deficits.
“We ran a sewer deficit of $125,000 last year, which was cut in half from the FY07 deficit (of around $250,000),” he says. “This year we’re looking to go the next step. We’re hoping to break even.”
Aside from breaking even, Heller says the primary goal of the rate changes is to maintain the overall goal of “having consumers who use less water pay less per unit, encouraging conservation and maintaining a substantial discount for fixed income elderly consumers, who generally use less water.”
He says the rate structure may require a mid-year checkup and possible adjustments if water and sewage usages vary.