Credit: Tom Sofield/LevittownNow.com
The Bucks County Water and Sewer Authority’s controversial exploration of a $1.1 billion sale of the sewer system to a private firm will receive public feedback next week.
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The Bucks County Water and Sewer Authority, which has several thousands of customers across Bucks County and nearby counties, will host public forums in the lower and upper ends of the county.
The first meeting will take place Tuesday, July 26 at Bucks County Community College Upper Bucks Campus’s Great Room in the North Building at 1 Hillendale Road in Perkasie from 10 a.m. to noon.
The second meeting will happen Tuesday, July 26 at Bucks County Community College’s Newtown Township Campus in the Gallagher Room in the Rollins Center at 275 Swamp Road in Newtown Township from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
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A spokesperson for the authority said the two meetings are the only two scheduled as of now to receive public feedback on the sale that, if it goes through, would increase customer bills for years to come.
Bucks County Water and Sewer Authority officials said last week feedback from the public would be key as they consider the sale of the sewer system.
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The offer from Aqua Pennsylvania, which is owned by Essential Utilities, to sell the largest part – the sanitary sewer system – under the public authority’s purview is worth $1.1 billion. After debt is paid off, Bucks County government would receive about $1 billion in profit.
The deal calls for the Bucks County Water and Sewer Authority to retain ownership of the water system, but sell the sewer system that serves several retail and wholesale customers across the county to Aqua Pennsylvania.
The deal would be the largest one of its kind in Pennsylvania and possibly the nation, people close to the deal said.
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Benjamin Jones, the CEO of the Bucks County Water and Sewer Authority, framed the deal as a good move for the authority and ratepayers, but numerous municipal and public utility advocates have called the sale a bad move for ratepayers.
Recently, the heads of the North Penn and North Wales water authorities in Montgomery County joined together with the current director of the Pennsylvania Municipal Authorities Association (PMAA) to pen a letter to Bucks County municipal leaders urging them not to support any privatization.
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Currently, Bucks County Water and Sewer Authority sewer customers pay $48.18 for 4,167 gallons on average. Aqua Pennsylvania recently pushed a plan to increase sewer rates for several towns it serves, with no rate per 4,000 gallons used being lower than the Bucks County Water and Sewer Authority rate and the highest being $138.50 for 4,000 gallons used, according to Philadelphia Inquirer reporting.
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