CAJA sewer rates doubling by July 2009

If you purchase water/sewer service from the Cambridge Area Joint Authority (CAJA), you should have received a letter last fall informing you that sewer rates would be gradually increasing until they more than double by 2009. Apparently, the idea of raw sewage being jettisoned into French Creek during heavy rains wasn't all that appealing to the PA Department of Environmental Protection. The fix? A new, $9.3-million wastewater treatment facility and upgrades to the existing facilities on Grant Street. How's it being paid for? Significant rate "adjustments" for CAJA customers.

The facility is being constructed to handle anticipated sewage loads for the next 20 years (which doesn't really sound very long, so I wonder if rates are going to be doubling again in another 20 years). According to the letter, the monthly bill for an average customer will increase by about $5/month every six months. The increases started in January--your $31 bill then will be nearly $57 by July 2009 for the same amount of usage.

In case you missed the letter, a pdf of it is available here. I guess I won't be surprised if this is one of those projects that ends up costing more than planners think it will.