The Huntsville City Council will vote on raising sewer rates in the city for the first time in 20 years at its June 12 meeting.

The city is proposing an increase to support infrastructure investments within the sewer collection system and at five wastewater treatment facilities. The vote on the increase was introduced at last week’s city council meeting.

According to the city its proposal calls for:

• Monthly sewer bills to increase from $24.15 to $29.15 for an average residential customer. That remains far below the average Alabama sewer bill of $52.14 per month, the city states.
• Rates would increase by $1 per month each year beginning in 2026 until 2034. At that point in 2034, the average residential sewer bill would be $39.15, still well below the current sewer bill average in the state, the city states.

The city said the increase would help fund a $150 million infrastructure investment within its sewer collection system and treatment facilities over a 10-year capital plan. The city said its wastewater system’s infrastructure continues to age and reinvestment into the system is necessary to ensure reliability that meets regulatory requirements. Portions of Huntsville’s system date back to the 1950s.

Urban and Economic Development Director Shane Davis said the oldest sewer infrastructure in the city is in the downtown area, “then as we grew north and then south, then southeast and west, it’s constantly aging.”

Davis said the city has not had as sizeable of an upgrade to the system since 2005, the last time the city raised rates.

Water Pollution Control currently operates and maintains six wastewater treatment facilities. They have a permitted treatment capacity of 110 million gallons per day and have been in service for an average of 48 years. Four also are in need of capital improvements to ensure reliable operation and permitting requirements, the city said.

“There are infrastructure needs that have to be done to maintain regulations,” Davis said.