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LOCK HAVEN -- In the wake of council's decision to consider adopting an ordinance which would dissolve the Lock Haven Authority, the city is looking for input on the future of its water, sewer and stormwater plans.
Three options are being considered by council on how to operate its water system. The maintenance of the system requires a large sum in the millions, according to a release from city staff.
Those three options are:
-- Continue with current city-only ownership and pay to apply to the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission to raise rates every year for at least 10 years.
-- Form a joint municipal authority and turn over ownership to representatives from Castanea Township, Wayne Township and the city who will need to raise water rates every year for the next ten years, but won't need to pay to apply to the PUC for those rate changes.
-- Sell the water system to a private or public company.
The city has opened the survey on its Civil Space page at https://lockhavenpa.civilspace.io/en/projects/lock-haven-water-rate-survey until Sept. 10.
The survey comes after council voted to consider adopting an ordinance which would dissolve its water authority. It will vote on the adoption of this ordinance at its Aug. 7 meeting.
Talk surrounding the city’s aging water system's infrastructure, which stretches outside its borders to Wayne Township and Castanea Township, has been ongoing as it faces large price tags.
In early 2022, during discussion surrounding its Capital Improvement Plans, council was presented with ballpark figures for repairing its infrastructure. The improvement plan is stretched out 30 years with a calculated cost at the time for roughly $30 million -- about $1.4 million each year.
At the time, council heard from its engineering firm, Gwin Dobson and Foreman, about funding options to meet this cost. Among them was grant funding from the city's liquid fuels allocation; annual budget allocations for streets/storm sewers; Community Development Block Grant Funding -- although this is often put towards park improvements and some paving; PennDOT's streetscape funds (is was noted this funding doesn't include underground systems); and budget capital expenditures that can often change based on needs each year.
Another possibility was creating a stormwater fee for property owners.
Known as an Equivalent Residential Unit (ERU) it's similar to the measurement used for sewer payments -- Equivalent Dwelling Unit -- and sees a residential property measured and averaged to yield a median number. This ERU is used to develop a flat rate fee for residential and commercial property owners.
In April, council voted to have an ordinance drafted that would create an ERU fee of $100 per year. The fee was later adopted in November.