Sanitary Sewer User Fee Info

          At the August, 2023 Council Meeting, ordinance 332 was enacted to establish a sanitary sewer user fee in West Leechburg Borough beginning January 1, 2024. The fee is set at $40 per equivalent dwelling (EDU) unit per quarter. EDU is a technical term that is used to measure sewage flows into a system. Most houses/apartments are considered one EDU. The number of EDUs for an address was established by a study by the Kiski Valley Water Pollution Control Authority (KVWPCA). This fee only applies to residents connected to the public sanitary sewer system, not those who may still have septic systems.
            Billing for this fee is being done by the KVWPCA on behalf of the borough. This means residents will now receive two separate bills from the KVWPCA for every quarter. One bill will be for services provided by KVWPCA. The second bill will be for West Leechburg’s sewer user fee.
            Initially, bills will only be payable by check. Additional payment methods may be added in the future. All payments must be mailed to KVWPCA, no payments will be accepted at the borough building or through other methods you may use for your regular KVWPCA bill.
            Please see the included Frequently Asked Questions for additional details. For any questions, please contact the borough office at 724-845-7359. To read the full ordinance, please visit: https://ecode360.com/WE4239
 
 
 
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is this fee being enacted?

Much of the borough owned sewer system is reaching the end of its functional life. Terracotta sewer lines and brick manholes are developing defects. Groundwater is infiltrating sewer lines and manholes, increasing the amount of water through the system, causing backups and additional treatment costs. Necessary repair projects have been estimated in the hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars. When the borough seeks grant money or low interest loans, it needs a source of funding to match these grants and loans.
 

I already pay a sewage bill. Why isn’t all of this covered already?

The sewer bill already paid by borough sewer users covers the costs incurred by the Kiski Valley Water Pollution Control Authority for transmitting and treating sewage. This includes pump stations and the main sewer treatment plant.

KVWPCA does not maintain the sanitary sewer lines inside the borough. Those lines are the responsibility of the borough and they are now facing the variety of issues outlined above.
 
 
You talked about repair estimates. Please provide examples.

A recent estimate to completely replace sewer lines on Bosin Street and half of James Street came in at $1.2 million. A cheaper alternative, to line the pipes (which is not always possible based on the condition of the pipes), was estimated at $237,000. This is significantly cheaper, but still beyond the current means of the borough.

A recent emergency repair to a manhole and sewer line located in the park cost $20,000. This repair was on a relatively short sewer line that was not that deep and in an easy place to dig (no street to dig in). 
 
How was the fee amount determined?

The borough accounted for a variety of factors when determining the fee, including: the current loan costs of previous sewer repairs, the current cost of maintenance to the sewer system, projected costs for additional sewer maintenance (including additional maintenance projects and increased engineering fees), and building a reserve fund to cover future emergency repairs or match potential grant funding. A total was then added up and divided by the number of billable EDUs. This fee was also compared to surrounding municipalities and was lower than many other Kiski Valley communities.
 
What about applying for grant money?

The borough has applied for grant money. For example, the borough was awarded a grant from the county for $78,870 to be used for a sewer on Gosser Street. The borough was required to provide a match of over $27,000 for the project. Grants like this typically require matches and the borough will use the new fee to provide matching funds for future grants.
Grants are typically highly competitive with much more money requested than available. For example, the borough applied for funding to do the previously mentioned project on James and Bosin Streets. The borough did not receive funding because of competition that saw $300 million worth of applications for only $105 million in available funding.
Further, PennVEST, a state agency that provides grants and loans was asked why the borough is never offered grants. We were told we had to prove rates would increase if a grant was not given. Because the borough didn’t have a sewer user fee, we could not prove rates would increase and could never qualify for grants.
 
Why now?
The borough’s sewer system has multiple defects, including areas that are known to have sags, allow major water infiltration, or have design issues dating to their original installation. Working to fix these issues now will prevent worse issues (blockages, collapses) in the future. Council is choosing to be proactive and address the issue now.