By GRAHAM BROOKS / Staff Writer

HELENA–Beginning Oct. 1, Helena residents will see a small increase in their water rate fees once the new fiscal year begins for the city.

A unanimous decision by the Helena Utility Board was made a few months ago officially approving the increase that residents will see reflected on their November utility bill.

The increase will raise the base rate for water from $12 to $13 a month for the 2,000-gallon minimum and will increase by 94 cents on the water usage rates for every additional 1,000-gallons used in a month.

The decision to slightly increase the rates comes after the city had to approve an $8 million project to upgrade the city’s waste water treatment facility after city officials were notified by the Department of Environmental Management that the facility had to meet certain regulations in order to be in compliance.

“This would generate we hope between an additional $300,000 to $400,000 a year,” Hall said in June. “We hope this would be sufficient to satisfy our debt obligations and to make our payments on the proposed loan of $8 million that we must do for the improvements at our wastewater plant.”

Some of the upgrades to the facility include rehabilitation of the existing secondary clarifiers and replacement of the existing mechanisms, new tertiary filtration equipment, new chemical storage and feed facilities and new UV disinfection equipment. All of these improvements will help keep Buck Creek and the Cahaba River Basin exceed environmental regulations.

Hall said he believes that it’s a fair rate increase and that after this increase in October, there should not be a need for another increase for another three years.

“We think it’s a fair rate,” said Hall. “It’s a very small increase and most people it will not harm detrimentally. It’s still in line with other cities and we think we won’t have to have another increase for another three years.”

A chart reflecting the water rate increases can be viewed on the city of Helena’s website under news and information by visiting Cityofhelena.org.