x
Breaking News
More () »

Preliminary Dates Expected to be Set for Fort Smith’s Sewer Hike

FORT SMITH (KFSM) – The Fort Smith Board of Directors is expected to set a preliminary time-table for when proposed sewer hikes could go into effect at th...
sewer

FORT SMITH (KFSM) – The Fort Smith Board of Directors is expected to set a preliminary time-table for when proposed sewer hikes could go into effect at their meeting Tuesday night (Mar. 3).

Over the next 12 years, sewer rates are expected to triple to fund repairs to the city’s aging sewage system.

The sewer rate increase would cover the costs needed to bring the city into compliance with the federal Clean Water Act after the Environmental Protection Agency alleged Fort Smith broke several aspects of the law. Environmental officials said the city experiences sewage overflow during episodes of heavy rainfall because of the decades-old sanitation system.

The City Board of Directors came to an agreement with the EPA and the U.S. Department of Justice to spend $200 million over the next 12 years to repair its sewage system.

“We don’t have much of a choice. This was something we had to make a decision on,” Fort Smith City Director Keith Lau said. “We entered in a consent decree and a certain program for capital improvements and for maintenance of our sewer lines.”

Lau said sewage bills will spike, but it’s not clear yet if water rates will go up too.

“The sewer portion of the bill is going to go up but not necessarily the water part, so we are researching that right now,” Lau said. “We’ve got an engineering firm that’s doing an analysis for us so that hasn’t been set yet as far as the total increase.”

Several city residents have expressed their thoughts about proposed increases at previous city meetings. Some, arguing that the citizens shouldn’t have to pay out of their pockets to get the aging sewer system fixed.

The Fort Smith Board of Director’s meeting starts at 6 p.m., at the Public Schools Service Center on Jenny Lind Road.

Before You Leave, Check This Out