Water, sewer prices to leap as city passes on higher costs

ST. PETERSBURG -- St. Petersburg's City Council said the rising cost of drinking water left it no choice but to raise rates by 14.5 percent Thursday night. And members said major repairs to decades-old sewer mains required a 9.85 percent increase in sewer rates.

The council approved the rate increases 5-0. A typical customer who uses 5,000 gallons of water per month will see their water and sewer cost rise from $25.36 to $29.52.

The increases will first affect November's bills.

"I don't think there's any one of us up here today who is happy about raising rates," council member Richard Kriseman said.

The rate increase has become an annual ordeal for city residents, and the tradition is almost certain to continue.

The cost of drinking water has dramatically risen across the Tampa Bay region. Environmental regulators have limited the amount that can be pumped from huge wells that provide the cheapest water because over-pumping damages the environment.

St. Petersburg sold its wells to the regional Tampa Bay Water utility four years ago, which has identified several new sources of water and is using them all to supply the city the water it needs. The most expensive new source is a seawater desalination plant it is building in Apollo Beach.

This year's rate increase is the first to include the cost of desalinated water. So Tampa Bay Water will charge St. Petersburg 20 percent more this year than last year for wholesale water.

Mayor Rick Baker said the city was able to cut other costs to keep from passing on the full 20 percent increase to customers. It also uses interest from the money it got when it sold the wells to offset rate increases.

The city studied its sewer system in 1998 after several spills and realized that it was old and worn out.

More than $57-million in repairs were scheduled, and the city has been working its way down the list.

"It's an old system, and it's in great need of repair going forward," Baker said.

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