Carnegie sewage rates affected by ALCOSAN increase

Carnegie residents will see a hike in sewage rates in 2020 due to an increase in Alcosan rates.

Borough leaders, however, agreed to a small reduction in the municipality’s charges to help ease the burden on residents.

Council members in January approved the change in rates.

Alcosan rates went from $7.94 to $8.50 per 1,000 gallons of wastewater treated. Its quarterly service charge also increased from $16.69 to $17.86.

Carnegie leaders agreed to lower the municipality’s rate from $6.35 to $6.30 for every 1,000 gallons of wastewater treated.

“Even though this is only a slight decrease, the goal is to maintain a rate that would not have to be significantly increased in the future,” borough Manager Steve Beuter said in an email to the Signal Item.

Residents must pay their sanitary sewer bill monthly.

The borough’s sewer fund is used “for continuous sewer monitoring and maintenance throughout the year,” Beuter said.

“Carnegie Borough has been very proactive in addressing the aging infrastructure throughout the community,” he said. “This approach is necessary in order to allow the system to absorb the increasing rainfall that the region has been facing in addition to state and federal regulations that the borough is required to follow.”

To help with system improvements, Carnegie has received funding from the Alcosan GROW grant program.