Community Corner

Olbert: Sewer Rate Increase Necessary to Avoid Risk

"Our sewer system is out-of-sight-out of mind," says San Carlos City Councilmember Mark Olbert.

Sometimes the things that need the most fixing are the things that are the least visible. 

And in the case of the San Carlos sewer system, the fixing is going to be costly but necessary, according to Councilmember Mark Olbert.   

Olbert hopes the San Carlos City Council approves the proposed 50 percent sewer rate increase Tuesday night when they meet to take action on a recommendation by city staff that residential and commercial rates be increased over a period of three years.   

[Note: Due to the Memorial Day holiday, the San Carlos City Council will meet Tuesday, May 28 at 7:00 p.m.]   

The increase is necessary to cover the cost of the capital improvement program to renovate the city’s sewer collection system.   

“Pipes are old throughout the Bay Area,” says Olbert, referring to, among other things, the 48” force main pipe that carries San Carlos sewer waste to the treatment plant at the edge of the bay. 
  
“Force main leaks pose significant risk to bay, and bay mud is a challenging and unstable environment,” Olbert added.     “They were not designed to work for 50 years untreated.”   

According to the city staff report, South Bayside System Authority (SBSA) has embarked on a $420 million capital improvement project to rebuild the aging influent force main and regional wastewater treatment program. San Carlos is responsible for 15.14 percent of project costs equating to approximately $64 million.   

SBSA serves Belmont, San Carlos, Redwood City, West Bay Sanitary District (Menlo Park, Atherton, Portola Valley, parts of East Palo Alto, Woodside and unincorporated San Mateo/Santa Clara counties).     

Olbert says the old system puts the community at risk of sewer breaks, leaks, and, in the extreme, a disaster waiting to such as what happened in Richardson Bay in 2008 when 5 million gallons of sewage were discharged into the bay.  He emphasized the need to educate residents and businesses on the risks of NOT raising the rates.   

Proposition 218 requires the city to notify property owners by mail whenever there is a proposed new or increased assessment, such as sewer rates. Property owners then have the right to protest the increase in writing, and if a majority of property owners object, the rate increase cannot take effect.   

As of Thursday, there were 50 protest letters, according to Olbert. 

He said that the majority of the letters were from owners of multi-unit apartment buildings. However, Olbert noted that the apartment owners were not opposed to the rate increase, but to how the costs were being allocated.   

Olbert met recently with members of the San Carlos Chamber of Commerce, and said that they understood the necessity of the increase.   

“One member told me he found the rate increases regrettably necessary,” Olbert said.      

City staff says the capital needs for the city’s sewer collection system and its share of the SBSA capital program currently exceed the Sewer Fund’s existing and future revenues.  Therefore, the three-year rate increase is being requested in order to fund all operations and maintenance costs, anticipated SBSA debt service.     

Olbert says he understands that balancing costs and risk is inherently difficult, but he stressed the need for the city to educate property owners on the risks involved if rates are set below the cost of repairs.   

“Making the repairs on this system will put us on healthy footing for a long time. This is risk management,” said Olbert.

The San Carlos City Council meeting will be held Tuesday, May 28 at 7:00 p.m. in San Carlos City Hall, 600 Elm St. To view the agenda and staff reports, click here. 


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