Swampscott to seek no rate hike on water, sewer

SWAMPSCOTT – Town Administrator Andrew Maylor will recommend no increase in the town’s water and sewer rates for the first time in three years, citing decreased water use due to the slow economy and improved system monitoring.”That’s very good news,” said Maylor. “There are not too many fees in this world that are going up by zero percent.”Selectmen in Swampscott also serve as Water and Sewer Commissioners, and they are responsible for setting the two rates to ensure that the system is self-sustaining. The water rate reflects the cost to purchase the water from the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA). The sewer rate reflects the cost of the town to clean that water once it is used.The combined sewer and water rates averaged a 4.39 percent increase between 2004 and 2012, according to figures provided by Maylor.But some years, the combined change has fluctuated more widely.Combined rates decreased by 0.34 percent between 2007 to 2008, for instance, but the next year increased by 7.89 percent, according to the figures. Maylor also noted that the town has used reserve funds to offset rate increases over the past five years.But this year, Maylor said that the town’s decreasing water consumption has enabled him to recommend no change to the water and sewer rates.The town’s water consumption is down 13 percent between 2009 and 2011. This has led to a corresponding 9 percent drop in sewer use, Maylor said, because less consumed water means less wastewater that needs to be treated. Furthermore, the decreased consumption means that the town pays less to the MWRA for distributing the water.In addition to decreased water consumption, Maylor said that the town has better monitored its water use.In 2002, the town started regular inspections for leaks within the water system. A study begun that year showed that more than 25 percent of the water that the MWRA billed to the town did not ultimately make it to the taxpayers’ taps.”Any time that water, for some reason, doesn’t end up where it needs to be, we’re paying the bill but not getting the service,” Maylor said.The town also replaced all the water meters in town in 2005, he said, leading to more accurate figures of households’ water use.While some leaks probably remain undetected, or may not be immediately detected, among the miles of water pipes, Maylor estimates that the town can account for 92 percent of the water for which it is billed because of those two monitoring improvements.MWRA Communications Director Ria Convery said that this figure is pretty good, as most communities lose an average of 10 percent of water due to leaks. She also noted that the organization approved an average rate increase of 5.9 percent for communities like Swampscott that receive MWRA water but maintain their own sewer services.Selectman Jill Sullivan praised Maylor’s recommendation that the water and sewer rates not change.”The things that we can control and set as selectmen are the real-estate taxes and water and sewer rates,” she said. “No increase in water and sewer rates is a good thing.”