Tampa weighs surcharge hikes for top commercial sewer users

The city wants to increase sewer surcharges for its biggest customers.

Under a resolution set to go before the city council for a vote early next year, about 50 of the city's large commercial wastewater users would pay extra to dispose of industrial-strength sewage at Tampa's Howard F. Curren wastewater treatment plant.

Residential wastewater customers, who have seen their bills increase by more than 20 percent over the past five years, would not be affected by the higher surcharges.

Ralph Metcalf II, director of the city's wastewater department, said the added revenue from the increases would be used to cover the rising costs of treatment and disposal.

"We need to make sure that the larger users pay their fair share of the costs," he said.

The charges would be based on a scientific formula calculating how much wastewater a customer produces and the level of nitrogen and other pollutants in the raw sewage.

The existing surcharges run the gamut from $92 a year to upwards of $125,000. City officials expect to generate about $160,000 a year from the surcharge increases.

The city also charges a "specialized service fee" for one-time or short-term disposal of wastewater and levies a $7 per load fee on waste haulers at the treatment plant.

Customers affected by the proposed changes would include the Pepsi-Cola bottling plant on 30th Street, Busch Gardens, local bakeries and laundry service operators.

The proposed surcharge comes as revenues to support the wastewater department's $98.7 million budget are declining as a result of the recession and other factors.

In the past year, the number of sewer accounts has declined by more than 1.5 percent. And with less construction in the city, officials have said, much-needed income from new connection fees has plummeted to about $1.9 million in 2009 from $6.6 million in 2006.

This fall, the city lost one of its biggest sewage customers, Smithfield Foods.

Smithfield had for years trucked industrial-strength wastewater to the city's treatment plant. The closure of the plant translated into a loss of $800,000 a year for the city.

The city's sewer department will also lose $2.5 million a year when Hillsborough County ends its lucrative contract with the city to treat raw sewage from Brandon in 2010.

Costs for chemicals to treat the water, electricity and personnel also are increasing.

Residential customers have also been forced to dig deeper into their pockets to absorb the losses. Since 2004, residential service rates have increased more than 20 percent.

In September, the city council approved another round of increases that will boost sewer rates by 40 percent in the next three years, from $33.60 a month to $46.50 in 2012.

The council also voted to increase surcharges for customers outside the city limits.

Tampa's residential sewer rates are still lower than others in the region. An average sewer customer in Tampa pays about $38.50 a month. Temple Terrace customers pay about $51.40 monthly. Hillsborough County customers pay about $47.22 a month.