PRWID to raise water, sewer rates

District applies for $1.75 million from CIB for new facility
The Price River Water Improvement District board of trustees voted 4-1 May 15 to raise water and sewer rates.
One dollar will be added to base water rates, effective January 2020. Sewer rates will go up $1 per residential equivalency effective January 2019.
Residential equivalency refers to business uses of the city’s sewer system, such as restaurants and hotels, that might use much more than average residences.
“The sewer is $1 per residential equivalent. So in the case, for example, if you are a home, it is $1 more per month. But if you are a business, let’s say a restaurant and use of the sewer is equal to five residences, then it will be per residential equivalent,” or $5 more per month, said Jeff Richens, PRWID manager.
The rate increases were made to offset the costs of a new maintenance building for vehicles and equipment as well as the purchase of cured-in-place pipe lining for seven locations throughout the area.
“We’re making an application to the Community Impact Board. And this is to help fund those projects,” Richens said,
Richens said the district has applied for $900,000 in grant funding as well as an additional $850,000 in zero interest loans.
  “This project has been out on the horizon for a number of years. Now it’s time to do it and take care of these issues. We’ve been planning on this something in the magnitude of 14 years,” Richens said.
“We’re hoping to have that taken care of by the spring of 2019.