Public hearings

to be held Tuesday on East Lyme water, sewer rates.

East Lyme — Public hearings will be held Tuesday evening on proposed increases to water and sewer rates.

A hearing on proposed sewer rates will begin at 6:30 p.m. at Town Hall and will be followed by a hearing on proposed water rates. The Water and Sewer Commission is slated to then consider approving the new rates at its regular meeting after the hearings.

The commission is proposing a 5 percent rate increase for most water users. A 15 percent rate increase is proposed for the highest users of more than 2,500,000 gallons of water over six months.

The commission is proposing a 3 percent rate increase for most sewer users, while a 10 percent increase is proposed for the highest users of 2,500,000 gallons or more.

Public Works Director Joe Bragaw said the water rate increase is needed to cover the cost of aging infrastructure and a decline in water usage. For example, there was a lot of rain this past summer, so water usage was down and there was less billable water.

There was also decreased sewage usage and revenue this year.

The department is finding operational efficiencies and doing maintenance work, which helps reduce operating costs, but has contractual labor increases and aging infrastructure, Bragaw said.

He said a big part of the sewer operating budget, which overall is down 1.2 percent, is paying for treatment at the New London wastewater plant, so less flow helped save some of those costs.

The sewer rate increase of 3 percent for most users is less than the 8 percent increase last year, and the department is doing everything it can to cut costs and keep rates down, Bragaw said.

If approved, the new rates would go into effect on Nov. 1.