Water, sewage rates increasing

By KATHRYN MORGAN | The Moorestown Sun

Moorestown residents may want to be more careful with their water. Council approved a water and sewer rate raise Monday night, to the chagrin of several residents in attendance.

Council approved the change as a result of a residual deficit in the budget after initial cuts in water and sewage. The approximate $600,000 budget gap will be paid for with an increase in water rates per every thousand gallons used, and an increase in minimum sewage rates. Council Member Greg Gallo called the state-required split between water pumped from local wells and water purchased from the state a “ridiculous set-up.”

“It’s not the township’s creation,” he said. “It’s the state.”

John Logue, a Moorestown resident, questioned the rate increase’s retroactive application.

“This increase will be applied to the water we’re using now,” Logue said. “Shouldn’t we have been told about this so we could start conserving?”

The sewage increase includes a per-quarter base charge as well as a flat rate of $5 per every thousand gallons used. The base charge will increase from $10 to $20 for residential users and from $25 to $50 for commercial and industrial users.

The new water rate plan includes a “three-tier” system. Those using less than 25,000 gallons will pay $3 per every thousand gallons. The second tier consists of those using 25,000 to 50,000 gallons, and paying $6.50 per every thousand gallons. The third and final tier consists of users consuming more than 50,000 gallons, and paying $6.90 per every thousand gallons.

Moorestown resident Mike Locatell praised the “three-tier” system. “It makes sense,” he said said. “If you’re conserving well you’ll pay less.”

For more, see a future print edition of The Sun.