Some Orange County residents may see their water and sewer rates increase in the new year.
The Rapidan Service Authority has proposed increasing rates from $7 to more than $30 a month for households in the Lake of the Woods subdivision in Locust Grove.
The 2,600-acre, gated subdivision surrounding a 500-acre man-made lake in far-east Orange County has struggled with sewage overflows due the aging infrastructure there. The additional money raised from the rate hikes is meant to cover multimillion-dollar upgrades to the sewer system.
“What is proposed, inside Lake of the Woods only, is to increase the Lake of the Woods Vacuum Sewer fee from the current $7 per month to $10 per month. That fee pays for annual ongoing vacuum sewer system improvements and has not increased since it was enacted in 2009,” Tim Clemons, general manager of the Rapidan Service Authority, told The Daily Progress via email.
The current $7 fee covers the cost of the $350,000 annual price tag on maintaining Lake of the Woods’ existing sewer infrastructure, according to the service authority.
“Inside Lake of the Woods only, a $23.50 per month vacuum sewer upgrade fee is to pay for upgrading and replacing the 13 vacuum pumping stations located throughout Lake of the Woods. This project has an estimated cost of $23 million. The pump stations were last upgraded in the early to mid 1990-time frame. The majority of these stations need new buildings, upgraded electrical systems, upgraded and upsized vacuum pumps, new piping, new vacuum tanks, SCADA system, etc.,” Clemons said.
Should the board approve the rate hikes, total sewer fees for Lake of the Woods residents will total $33.50 per month.
“If the Board approves the rates at its January 2025 meeting, the rates will take affect with the next full billing cycle, so the February-March time frame,” Clemons said.
A public hearing on the rate change is scheduled for 7 p.m. Jan. 8 at Locust Grove Middle School.
Source: www.dailyprogress.com
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