Monessen and Donora residents will see a slight increase in water bills in 2014, but their sewage bills will take a much larger bite out of the wallets in the new year.
People in Monongahela and Carroll Township, however, will actually see their sewage bill decrease slightly in 2014.
The Authority of the Borough of Charleroi, which provides water services for Charleroi, Monessen, Donora and Fallowfield Township, sent letters to customers this week announcing a modest rate increase for 2014.
Ed Golanka, general manager of the authority, said the hike is abut 3.5 to 4 percent.
For median residential customers, the rate hike is about $1.20 to $1.50 per month, based on usages of between 4,00 and 5,000 gallons. That includes a $1 per month base charge, listed as a meter fee on residential customers' bills, and a hike of 30-cents per 1,000 gallons of water used, Golanka said.
The rate hike was necessitated by increasing operating costs and needed capital improvements to the water system, he said.
While Monessen residents receive their water from the Charleroi authority, their sewage is handled by the Mon Valley Sewage Authority.
That agency, which also provides sewage services to Donora, already has increased rates for Monessen residents and will start billing Donora residents more starting Jan. 1.
Authority general manager Tom Salak said his agency implemented a 29 1⁄2 percent increase because of a mandatory multi-million dollar, long-term control plan project and the closing of the PolyOne plant in Donora.
The minimum charge for customers of the authority will go up to $114 from $88 per quarter.
The new monthly charge for Monessen residents will be $45, including a $7 sewage-line-usage fee imposed by Monessen council.
The usage fee in Donlora is $3.
“We upgraded our pump station and major pipes, which will allow more flow at the wastewater treatment plant,” Salak said.
The plant is located at 20 S. Washington St. in Carroll Township.
“Once we get started, hopefully by the middle of the year, we'll start construction of the satellite treatment facility,” Salak added.
The satellite treatment facility, to be built behind Frank's Garage just off Donner Avenue in Monessen, is part of Phase II of the project.
Phase III will comprise construction of three satellite facilities in Donora and upgrades to pipes that discharge into the Monongahela River, Salak explained.
The new 3.6-million gallon storage tank at the treatment plant will be used to help decrease discharge into the river.
Salak said in October chances are good that another rate hike will be coming at the end of 2014 or early 2015 to offset costs for the final phases of the authority's project.
Originally, authority engineers recommended a 36 percent hike in rates.
The news is better for customers of the Municipal Authority of the City of Monongahela.
In a release issued Thursday, the authority said its customers will see a reduction in their monthly rates of 6.2 percent.
Residents using less than 3,000 gallons of water will see a savings of $2.18 per month.
The authority's $2,000,008 budget also will result in a reduction of usage fees paid by the Carroll Township Sewer Authority.
That reduction is 2.5 percent from $855,600 per year to $834,600. The authority said the reduction is slightly less than the reduction for Monongahela residents due to a 3 percent increase in the percent of the budget paid for by Carroll Township residents.
Over the past three years, the base fees in Carroll Township have dropped a total of 13 percent, from $965,800 in 2011 to $834,600.
Jeremy Sellew is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at jsellew@tribweb.com or 724-684-2667.
Staff writer Chris Buckley contributed to this story.
