The Hamilton County Water & Wastewater Treatment Authority asked the Hamilton County Commission to add a general contractor to help it meet its goal of inspecting 300 sewer lines a month, saying the 16 plumbers are not enough to meet that goal.
The WWTA is inspecting the home under the Private Service Lateral Program. Repairs are estimated to cost $3,000 to $5,000 per line and the WWTA implemented a $8 monthly fee to cover the costs.
But the WWTA may have to raise the $8 fee it charges customers in order to adequately fund the program in the future.
According to the WWTA, the $8 fee was implemented to fund the program for the 20 years.
Louis Wright, the county’s administrator of finance and a WWTA commissioner said because WWTA did not implement a $20 to $22 fee increase it faces the prospect of borrowing money to keep the program going. He said a bond issue to fund the program 30 years would cost the county $15.8 million in interest.