FORT SMITH (KFSM) –Local residents' water and sewer bills may double as a way for Fort Smith to pay off the costs of complying with federal clean water laws, city administrator Ray Gosack told city directors Monday night (Dec. 1).
Fort Smith's Board of Directors met Monday night to discuss ongoing negotiations with the federal government concerning sewage overflow problems in the city. City administrators have been meeting with members of the Environmental Protection Agency over the last several weeks to craft a plan to get the city in compliance with the Clean Water Act, after the EPA alleged Fort Smith broke several aspects of the federal law.
At Monday's meeting, the Fort Smith Board of Directors and Mayor Sandy Sanders discussed a proposed consent decree, which calls for the city to pay a $500,000 fine for Clean Water Act violations. Of that, $300,000 would go to the government and $200,000 would go toward funding low-income housing in Fort Smith, according to Kevin Settle, who is on the board of directors. The board will have another study session on Dec. 9, according to a city memo.
In order for the city to implement steps to comply with federal clean water laws, Fort Smith customers' water bills will double by 2019 if the plan if officially adopted by the city, Gosack said.
Fort Smith officials hope the consent decree expresses the city’s desire to continue to address the sewage overflow problem while following federal laws concerning the Clean Water Act, the memo states.
“Our goal is to ensure the city is providing sanitary sewer services in an environmentally-responsible manner that meets the requirements of federal and state laws,” according to a memo sent to city directors by city administrator Ray Gosack.
City officials said last month local customers may see higher sewer rates as a result of the work being done to bring Fort Smith into compliance with federal laws.
According to Settle, the information provided during Monday's meeting indicates the water and sewer rates could go up to between $30 to $40 over the course of five years, but he said the board of directors will get more clarification on increasing the sewer rates at their Dec. 9 study session.
"We don't have all the final numbers. That's what next Tuesday is about. It's going to be a significant increase," Settle said.
City administrators have been working with the U.S. Department of Justice and the EPA over the last eight years in order to comply with the federal Clean Water Act after environmental officials complained of sewage overflows during episodes of heavy rainfall because of the city’s decades-old sanitation system.
The wet weather overflows of sewage in Fort Smith are caused by rainwater entering the sewer system through defected manholes and underground pipes. The rainwater overwhelms the capacity of the sewer system, causing untreated sewage to overflow from the system, according to the city.
By committing $200 million to solve the problem, city officials said they have reduced the number of wet weather overflows by 79 percent. The city also has $30 million in construction either under way or upcoming, officials said.
Repairing and replacing the city's sewer pipes could cost as much as $205 million dollars on a capital scale, Settle said. Fort Smith will have 12 years to fix its sewer system according to the settlement with the EPA, he added.
"Everything is going to be in the ground. We have to get rid of old clay pipes, old concrete pipes and replace them with PVC and that new technology that they have out there. Stuff that was built 56 years ago has to be replaced," Settle said.
Although city administrators are in negotiations with federal authorities, negotiations two months ago initially broke down, causing officials to prepare in September and October for a lawsuit that never came. Negotiations later picked back up between the two entities, and now city leaders say they are doing everything they can to fix the overflow system and follow the law.
The Fort Smith Board of Directors will vote on the propose consent decree at their meeting on Dec. 16.