Yorkville-Bristol Sanitary District to increase rate by 5% July 1

YORKVILLE – Residents of Yorkville and surrounding unincorporated areas will see a 5% increase on their bills for sanitary sewer service.

The Yorkville-Bristol Sanitary District is increasing its base rate for service effective July 1.

Currently, residents pay $76.11 every two months for the first 6,900 cubic feet of water used. For every 100 cubic feet above that limit, an additional $1.10 is charged.

With the 5% increase in the base rate, customers will see their bills rise to $79.91, YBSD Executive Director Cyrus McMains said.

The $1.10 rate for those using more than 6,900 cubic feet will remain the same, McMains said.

The YBSD charges show up as a line item on the utility and garbage collection bill that is sent out every other month by the city of Yorkville.

Residents will notice the sanitary district’s rate increase on their September bills, McMains said.

This will be the first increase in the rate charged by the sanitary district since 2001, McMains said.

The rate increase is designed to help the district pay for ongoing maintenance, equipment replacement and upgrades at YBSD’s wastewater treatment plant on the north bank of the Fox River just west of Route 47 in Yorkville’s downtown area.

Plant equipment, particularly electrical gear, is prone to wearing out in “the corrosive environment” of a wastewater treatment plant, McMains said.

Earlier this year, the district’s board of trustees issued $7.5 million in general obligation bonds to fund the plant upgrades, McMains said.

Meanwhile, Yorkville’s dramatic population growth has the plant operating at capacity, McMains said.

The district is planning a $40 million expansion of the plant, with work expected to get underway next year.

The plant addition will not only increase capacity, but allow the plant to deal with changes in the types of wastes it is processing.

In recent years, more solids and organic materials are being placed into the sanitary sewer system, McMains said, citing the use of garbage disposals as one source. The solids require special processing as they move through the sewer plant’s treatment system.

In addition, the plant is dealing with tougher environmental standards for the removal of phosphorus from the wastewater.

The expansion will allow the plant to incorporate new treatment processes as they become available and to operate more efficiently as Yorkville continues to grow and the flow into the plant increases, creating an economy of scale, McMains said.

“We’re building this facility with an eye to the future,” he said.