Water Rates

The Carroll County commissioners objected yesterday to a planned 16 percent increase in Baltimore water rates because most of the extra money would go to fix parts of the city's decaying infrastructure that have little direct impact on Carroll. The county draws much of its water from the city-owned Liberty Reservoir but maintains treatment plants and networks of pipes. Commissioners say Carroll would be paying 16 percent more for untreated water while deriving little benefit from planned upgrades to the city's water and sewer systems.

A heat wave and dry spell have boosted water usage to alarming levels, and the Town Council hopes the higher rates it approved Monday night will inspire residents to conserve the limited supply.But 70 percent of the town households will see only a small increase in waterbills because of moderate use, and 9.5 percent will see no increase because they use so little.Officials say heavy users -- who they say probably strive for lush, green lawns -- will feel the pinch of a new "block-rate" concept.

Residents of the Freedom area, Carroll's most populous region, might see their water and sewer bills shrink next summer.The county commissioners are expected to order a study next week that would examine the formula used to calculate the rates for public water and sewer service. The formula, which officials call complex, was adopted in 1970."We would like to look at the alternatives," county Comptroller Eugene C. Curfman told the three-member board of commissioners yesterday. "By changing the formula, we may be able to decrease the rates for certain users, particularly the elderly and low-volume users."

The city of Baltimore's plans to raise water rates by 19 percent next month will not affect Howard County residents this year -- even though the county gets much of its water from the city system.Despite the rate increase for Baltimore households -- announced by the city Wednesday -- there will be no corresponding increase in Howard County water rates until at least next year, said Robert M. Beringer, head of utilities at the county's Department of Public Works.The reason for the delay in passing on the rate increase to Howard residents is that the county utilities bureau is enjoying a surplus of funds at the moment, he said.

Half of Carroll County's eight municipalities have raised or are considering raising water rates to curtail excessive use and pay for the increasing costs of treating, storing and distributing water. Mount Airy and New Windsor approved rate increases in the past two months, and town councils in Hampstead and Taneytown are looking at such a move. Though leaders from each town give different reasons for increasing the rates, all say it has become more expensive to provide water. "And the longer you delay raising the rates, the more you pay in the long run," said Hampstead Town Manager Ken Decker, who projects that his town could end up $1.5 million in debt by 2010 if it doesn't raise rates now. None of the town leaders said the planned increases were connected to the drought.

A meeting between state officials and the owner of one of Maryland's smallest private water companies yesterday will ensure its customers clean drinking water, but it didn't resolve the issue of a recent tenfold increase in the water rate.While primarily informational, the closed 2 1/2 -hour meeting -- which included owner Ann Freed of Sykesville and engineers from the Public Service Commission -- was a good one, said Nancy P. Reilman, chief of the Safe Drinking Water Act Implementation Division of the Maryland Department of the Environment.

Everything is getting more expensive these days, even a drink of water.In Baltimore, top city officials yesterday approved raising water and sewer fees by 19 percent, or about $60 a year for an average household."

Manchester residents are still waiting to hear how much they will pay for water and sewer service in fiscal 1994, while town officials disagree about how much money must be raised for the town's water and sewer funds.Mayor Earl A. J. "Tim" Warehime Jr. and Town Manager Terry L. Short have said that unless water rates go up, the town will not collect enough money to cover this year's budget.Councilman John A. Riley says some increase may be necessary, but he feels uncomfortable setting new water and sewer rates until he knows how much money is left in the water and sewer funds from last year.

The years of unchanging rates for the nearly 5,100 water and sewer customers of the county's two treatment plants are over."The chances are, the costs will continue to go up," County Comptroller Eugene Curfman said during a sparsely attended 90-minute information sessionat North Carroll High School.While the county commissioners won't officially adopt new water and sewer rates for customers here and in the southern part of the county until after two public hearings next month, the amount of that increase is projected to be substantial.