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Santa Cruz County: $223 Million Needed for Sewer System
Santa Cruz County Sanitation District is proposing a 6.1% increase in sewer service charges for the 2023-24 fiscal year over the last years.
For the average single-family homeowner, paying $940 a year, this is $4.80 per month. The district has 32,300 customers in Aptos, Soquel, Capitola and Live Oak.
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The increase for longterm care homes is 10.2%, Chaminade 7.6%, Dominican Hospital, 6.4%, Cabrillo College, 6.2% and State Parks, 6.2%.
Written protests must be received by May 4 at 701 Ocean St., Santa Cruz, CA 95060, Room 410.
A hybrid public hearing will take place at 4:45 p.m. May 4 at 2750 Lode St., Santa Cruz, and via Zoom at https:// us02web.zoom.us/j/89115975221
Meeting ID is: 891 1597 5221.
Or phone: +1 669 900 6833 US
About 3 million gallons of wastewater a day are pumped from Aptos, Soquel, Capitola and Live Oak to the treatment plant in Santa Cruz. During storms, pumped flows can increase 800%.
Sewer charges generate $32,570,000 a year. An additional $38 million from bonds are to be invested in infrastructure.
Forrest Revere, senior engineering associate with the sanitation district, said significant contributing factors to the rate increase are inflation (San Francisco/ Oakland/ San Jose Bay Area Consumer Price Index for 2023 has increased at a 4.9% a year) and planned capital improvements at the City of Santa Cruz’s wastewater treatment plant. Additionally, the District plans to increase capital spending for sewer collection system improvements to address the aging, failing, and overwhelmed infrastructure.
According to Revere, it is estimated $143 million is needed to rehabilitate infrastructure with a ‘poor’ rating per the National Association of Sewer Service Companies, and another $80 million to address capacity issues that put the system at risk of overflowing during a large storm.
With increasing investments in capital improvements, the District estimates nearly 95% of the known deficiencies in the system can be remedied in the next 10 years, according to Revere. n
