Wiscasset Water District held a public hearing May 23 on water rate hikes expected to go into effect July 1. About a dozen people attended.

District Superintendent Chris Cossette provided a PowerPoint demonstration that showed the district’s cost increases and capital improvements, and the average cost to residents.

Cossette said the district had identified many necessary upgrades, owing to 100-year-old water lines. Some of the replaced lines rest behind the district building on Birch Point Road, the rusty red of the century-old iron pipes a sign of their age.

In addition to the costs of debt service on the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development loan, the cost of water from Bath Water District has also increased. However, Cossette said, purchased water is still cheaper than building a new water treatment plant, which could be as much as $5 million to $10 million, owing to the turgidity of the water source in Wiscasset. A new treatment plant would also require one or two new staff members. Together, this would cost ratepayers far more than the cost of continuing to purchase water from the water treatment facility at Nequasset Lake, where the water is much clearer.

Cossette said the cost to the average residential customer would be about $43 per year, or 11 cents per day.

To hold the line on costs, he said, more customers are needed in the district. “Every time we get a new business or new residence in town, the capital costs get shared by a larger pool of customers,” he said. “We need greater economic development to hold the line on costs.”

Cossette said he is meeting with Edgecomb selectmen to discuss how their goals for economic development could benefit the water district as well.  Not all of Edgecomb is served by Wiscasset Water District currently.

In answer to a question about why there were no reserve funds when the district knew in advance the aging pipes would need replacing, Cassette said state law forbids water districts and other utilities from setting aside money in savings accounts. “We can’t charge a little more over time and have the money when we need it,” he said. “We are only able to increase your rates when we fund a large expense.”