ITEM PHOTO BY SPENSER HASAK
Breeds Pond Reservoir, one of four water supplies in Lynn.
By THOMAS GRILLO
LYNN — A water rate hike is on tap.
Next month, the city’s Water & Sewer Commission is expected to approve a 2 percent increase costing the average user $14 more per year.
“For the last two years there’s been no increases,” said Daniel O’Neill, the commission’s executive director. “But we have to pay for a mandated $106 million project and ratepayers are our only source of money.”
Subject to commission approval, Lynn’s water rates on July 1 will rise to $10.18 per 100 cubic feet or 748 gallons, up from $9.98 per 100 cubic feet. The average customer uses about 7,000 cubic feet of water annually and the cost will rise to $712, up from $698. If a family uses 8,000 cubic feet, the price will increase to $814 from $798.
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The new rate will result in an annual collection of about $700,000. The construction project had its roots in 1976, when the Environmental Protection Agency alleged the commission was in violation of the Clean Water Act by allowing waste from sewer systems to flow into the Atlantic.
Under an order from the U.S. District Court, the commission is required to end so-called combined sewer overflows (CSOs) in four locations. The CSOs have been identified at Summer Street in West Lynn, two across from North Shore Community College. In West Lynn, contractors will install new out-flow pipes at Bennett and Alley streets.
When there’s rain or snow, the waste sometimes exceeds the capacity in the sewer lines and makes its way into the sea, streets and basements.
The city’s water supply comes from the Ipswich and Saugus rivers. From there, it’s pumped or flows into the city’s four reservoirs: Breeds, Birch, Walden, and Hawkes totaling 3.8 billion gallons of water.
Thomas Grillo can be reached at [email protected].