By Gordon Larsen
Orem residents may soon pay more each month to shower, wash the dishes and flush the toilet.
Orem City Council is considering an increase in the city?s water reclamation fee, the fee that residents pay each month to cover the costs of sewage.
Jim Reams, Orem city manager, said revenue gained from reclamation fees declined over the last several years as efforts to educate residents about conservation efforts have paid off. The city has also begun measuring water use more accurately, he said.
Reams said while it?s good residents are conserving more, the decrease in revenue means the city has less funds to maintain the system.
Orem households produce an average of 11,000 gallons of sewage each month and will see an increase of about $3 a month on their bill, Reams said.
Orem residents currently pay a base fee of $5 a month and an additional $1.13 for every 1,000 gallons of sewage water. If the Council includes the increase in this year?s budget, the base fee will rise to $6.50 a month and the user fee to $1.30 for every 1,000 gallons.
?We try to treat everybody equitably,? he said. ?That?s why there?s a higher fee on the user, because then the heavy users pay more, and they should pay more. But there are certain fixed costs that we all need to share, and there?s a certain cost to operate the plant. Replacing sewer pipes is something that everyone should share.?
Orem calculates the fee based on a household?s water use during winter months when there is no outside irrigation and nearly all water used goes down the drain. The city assumes summer use will be the same and charges the same fee year round, said Bruce Chestnut, Orem public works director.
Chestnut said the city?s calculation has become more accurate in the last three years. Officials started measuring water reclamation eight times a year instead of just four and the amount of calculated sewage has decreased about 1,500 gallons a month.
Chestnut said the problem is that less use doesn?t mean less need for maintenance.
?If the pipe?s carrying a million gallons or 900,000 gallons, we still have to do about the same things to it,? he said. ?Our fixed costs are still there.?
Reams said the city has avoided the increase for several years due to the slow economy, but now needs the funds to replace corroded water lines and make other repairs that will keep the system efficient.