By: CHRISTINA KRISTOFIC Bucks County Courier Times
In an attempt to stabilize rates, the Bucks County Water and Sewer Authority lowered rates in Central and Upper Bucks and increased them in Bensalem.

And cutting sewer rates for most its customers in Central and Upper Bucks.

Authority spokesman Patrick Cleary said the authority is "just trying to make all the rates equal" across its service area, and the changes will have no effect on the agency's bottom line.

The new sewer rates take effect in the January sewer bills. Cleary said the authority has notified each municipality of the changes, and will put notes in the residents' bills.

The authority's sewer rates are based on system usage, and the authority's system-wide average is 12,500 gallons per quarter for a customer.

Sewer rates in Middletown Township and Upper Dublin will remain the same because the municipalities are under contractual rate agreements that do not expire until 2012. Middletown residents pay an average of $101 per quarter. Upper Dublin residents pay an average of $70 per quarter.

Rates for Bensalem residents will increase from $22 per month to $37 per month for average monthly usage of 4,166 gallons, which equates to a new annual rate of about $444. Bensalem residents are billed monthly because sewer rates and billing are based on water usage and timed with water billing, and the municipality's water provider takes readings monthly.

Rates for Central and Upper Bucks residents will drop from an average of $135 per quarter to a new average of $112 per quarter, which equates to a new annual rate of about $448. The affected municipalities include Doylestown, Doylestown Township, New Hope, Plumstead, Quakertown, Richland, Richlandtown, Solebury and part of Buckingham.

For most of the municipalities that are seeing rate cuts, Cleary said, their rates had been established in contracts when the authority bought their sewer systems.

The authority keeps an eye on its rates and tries to stabilize rates across its 26-municipality service area every four years, said Jason Hillaert, the assistant controller for the authority. The next rate stabilization is scheduled for January 2013.

The authority set the new rates after an extensive study of the authority's service area, average usage, rates, revenue, and current and projected expenses.
Water rates for authority customers will remain the same.

A look at residents' annual rates

Area/Municipality Before adjustment After adjustment

Bensalem $264 $444
Central and Upper Bucks $540 $448