REVERE – Residents will see a significant increase in water and sewer rates starting July 1 when rates jump a combined 12 percent. The increase is tied directly to an order from the Environmental Protection Agency to the city to clean up its aging water and sewer system.”Rates will be going up 6 percent on each water and sewer,” said Mayor Daniel Rizzo’s Chief of Staff Miles Lang-Kennedy. “We have to do it or we’ll be sued.”Lang-Kennedy said the EPA has handed down a Consent Decree requiring the city to make improvements to water and sewer that will eliminate illegal sewer overflows. Overflows are when untreated sewage is discharged into the ocean, streams or environment and can represent a public as well as an environmental threat.The improvements are expected to take about 10 years to complete and will cost more than $100 million.”I know that during difficult economic times, we are all struggling to pay our bills,” Rizzo said. “I hope that in the future these issues will be alleviated.”Rizzo has been reaching out to residents to make them aware of the project and explain the rate increases. Lang-Kennedy said notices were included in water and sewer bills and a recent city-wide meeting was held but it was sparsely attended.According to the city’s website the combine water and sewer rate for residents in 2011 was $14.75 per cubic feet. That is expected to rise dramatically in a matter of weeks.According to the presentation made at the meeting the EPA hit the city with an Administrative Consent Order in 2007 and then with Consent Decree in 2010.The city hired CDM Smith to oversee the project that actually started with Phase I in 2011. The plan is simple: to target sources of inflow and infiltration. Inflow and infiltration is sometimes called “clean” water because it’s not sewage. Lang-Kennedy said the “clean” water often comes from leaky water pipes or broken manhole covers. The water finds its way into the sewer system, which goes to a treatment facility and costs taxpayers money he said. Cut down on the amount flowing to a treatment facility and it cuts down the cost.Phase I included demolishing outdated pumping stations in the Goldie Street area and installing new fire hydrants. Phase II included replacing the Point of Pines pumping station, relining pipes throughout the city to alleviate leakage and disconnecting 20-25 major sources of inflow connected to residential and business properties in the city.Phase III, which is underway now, will continue the relining process as well as locating and disconnecting another 40-50 sources where water is infiltrating the system. It also includes upgrades to six pump stations in North Revere.While costly, the project is a non-negotiable requirement from the EPA and the Department of Justice and it is also expected to stabilize sewer rates in the future, Lang-Kennedy said.”If we don’t do this we will be sued by the DOJ,” he said. “We don’t have a choice.”For more information regarding water and sewer work being completed, residents can call Rizzo’s office at 781-286-8111 or visit www.revere.org.Chris Stevens can be reached at [email protected].