Rates Increase 12.5 Percent as of July 1

Under a four-year rate package passed by the Atlanta City Council last year, the City of Atlanta's water/sewer rates will increase by 12.5 percent effective July 1. This will mean a $13.28 increase per month (to $120.82) for the average (8 ccf) customer.

The City's water/sewer revenues support the $4 billion Clean Water Atlanta Program, a federally mandated undertaking to overhaul the water and wastewater infrastructure. Under Clean Water Atlanta, the City has:

- Separated more than 21 miles of previously combined sewers in three sewer basins, eliminating overflows in the McDaniel, Greensferry and Stockade communities; and completed construction of the 8.5-mile-long West Area Combined Sewer Overflow Tunnel; reducing combined sewer overflows from more than 60 a year at six CSO facilities to four at the remaining four CSO facilities, all of which will be screened, disinfected and dechlorinated to meet all water quality standards;

- Completed the 8-mile-long Nancy Creek Tunnel and capacity relief projects in the North Atlanta/Dunwoody area, reducing sanitary sewer spills from 100 in 2001 to 14 in 2008;

- Purchased about 2,000 acres of greenways to protect approximately 23 miles of streambanks in perpetuity;

- Implemented a grease management program that has kept 31 million gallons of grease out of the sewer system;

- Inspected more than 1,200 miles of sewer pipe and rehabilitated/repaired more than 300 miles under the Sewer System Evaluation Survey and related rehab projects; and

- Replaced more than 100 miles of drinking water mains.

We remind our customers that the City uses conservation pricing; consequently, customers using 1-3 ccf will pay $9.77 per ccf for water and sewer; those who use from 4-6 ccf will pay $15.07 per ccf; and those who use 7 or more will pay $17.34 per ccf. A ccf is 100 cubic feet -- about 750 gallons. Thus, conservation not only helps save water; it saves money, too!

You can check out http://www.atlantawatershed.org/custsrv/water_and_sewer_rates.htm for more information on your water/sewer bill.