FARRELL, PA. Rates will likely rise for city sewer repairs

The city would have to raise its rates just to become eligible for grants.
FARRELL, Pa. -- The city has to come up with an estimated $485,000 to replace a sanitary sewer pump station that has allowed system overflows.
Dan Goncz of the Pittsburgh-based engineering firm of Gannett Fleming told city council Monday that's the price tag to replace the Keifer Drive pump station.
The state Department of Environmental Protection is mandating that Farrell correct overflow problems there, Goncz said. That will require replacing pumps with submersible units and a new main line, he said, adding that the plan must be submitted to the DEP by the end of August.
"Is this something we have to do?" asked Councilwoman Helen Marenchin. "Where are we going to get the money? We have people not paying their sewer bill now."
Goncz said the city might be eligible for some low-interest loans through the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority or Department of Agriculture and could even ask U.S. Rep. Phil English of Erie, R-3rd, to request a special allocation in the federal budget to help cover the expense.
Rates on the rise
In the end, though, it will come down to the ratepayers' covering the cost of the work, he said.
City officials asked about the possibility of grants from Pennvest or the Department of Agriculture, but Goncz said the city's sewer fees aren't high enough to warrant grant support. The state is only willing to offer grants where residents are already paying sewer bills in the range of $30 to $35 a month, he said.
Farrell's average monthly residential rate is just $20, city officials said.