Monthly water costs on the rise in Itasca

Itasca residents may want to start turning off the water while they brush their teeth and mandating 5-minute showers.

To fix an aging system and fund the construction of the new wastewater treatment plant, trustees this week approved a new four-year rate schedule.

With the rate hike, an Itasca household that uses 8,000 gallons of water a month will see its roughly $60 water and sewer bill jump by nearly 12 percent this year and 75 percent by 2012.

Effective with the March bill, the combined water and sewer rate will increase from $6.95 per 1,000 gallons of water consumed to $7.78. In addition, minimum usage fees for most residential houses will increase from $4.60 to $8.10.

Trustee Jeff Pruyn, who is chairman of the village's finance committee, said both rate structures were last adjusted in 2004. He said the new rate structure is the product of several studies.

Village engineers studied the existing water and sewer rates and estimated what those rates need to be to pay for a new wastewater treatment plant and to cover normal operating costs of the system.

"The rate at which we purchase the water will be increasing, and the system infrastructure is aging," Pruyn said. "These increases are also, obviously, expected to offset the costs associated with constructing the new plant."

Village Administrator Dave Williams said the $38 million plant, slated to be constructed along Prospect Avenue, is expected to be operational by early 2011.

"We've been watching the current facility grow old and regularly break down, causing significant monthly maintenance costs," Williams said. "The new facility is essential for the continued growth and stability of this community."