Riverbank council OKs big hikes in sewer rates. Here’s why they might not get so high
Sewer rates will more than double in Riverbank by 2027 under a plan approved Tuesday night by the City Council.
The unanimous vote will allow the city to collect more money toward the estimated $90 million cost of upgrading the sewage treatment plant. But council members said they might reduce the hikes after 2023 if Riverbank secures grants for the project.
Starting Jan. 1, homes will see their monthly charge rise from $49.48 to $58.39. Assuming no grants, it will be $68.90 in 2024 , $81.30 in 2025, $95.12 in 2026 and $109.39 in 2027. Rates also will rise for business customers.
Under state Proposition 218, the rate increases could not go through if a majority of affected customers filed protests at or before Tuesday’s hearing. The city received 960 protests out of the 3,419 notices mailed out.
About a dozen residents spoke against the increases in the council chambers or over Zoom, many of them citing the overall cost of living.
Real estate agent Diego Hernandez said the city is assuming too much income for the plant upgrade from connection fees on new homes.
“We’re not going to get that growth, but we are going to get stuck with the bill,” he said. The council might set new connection fees in 2023.
Trimming the rate hikes
A consultant told the council in September that the $109.39 monthly rate in 2027 could be reduced to $100.98 if grants provide $15 million toward the project. The charge would be $86.70 if grants totaled $40 million.
Riverbank hopes to tap grant programs that are well-funded thanks to the state $97 billion budget surplus and the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill signed by President Joe Biden last year.
“Right now, money is available,” Mayor Richard O’Brien said before the vote. “That’s why we have to move now.”
City officials have said grant programs are especially interested in sewer projects that recycle water for use on crops. Riverbank plans to do this for a small expanse of farmland near the plant, just across the San Joaquin County line. The farmers would pay a yet-to-be-determined rate.
Upgrades maybe in 2026
The council Tuesday also unanimously approved the environmental impact report for the project, which allows detailed engineering to move forward. Construction could finish in 2026 under the current schedule.
The plant has operated for about 70 years just west of Santa Fe Avenue. It uses screens, settling ponds and other methods to make the water clean enough to seep into the aquifer. Water quality standards have tightened for such plants.
Stanislaus County is a pioneer in water recycling. The effluent from Modesto, Ceres and Turlock goes to farmland in the Del Puerto Water District on the West Side. The district covered the $82 million cost because it often has scant allotments from the federal Delta-Mendota Canal.
This story was originally published December 14, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
