{"id":17645,"date":"2026-07-01T12:49:06","date_gmt":"2026-07-01T16:49:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.eastwindsorchamber.com\/site\/?p=17645"},"modified":"2026-07-01T12:49:06","modified_gmt":"2026-07-01T16:49:06","slug":"sewer-bill-explained-by-supt-shlatz","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.eastwindsorchamber.com\/site\/sewer-bill-explained-by-supt-shlatz\/","title":{"rendered":"Sewer Bill Explained by Supt. Shlatz\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"
East Windsor Water Pollution Control Authority<\/b><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
2026-2027 Sewer Rate Increase<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Dear Customer of the East Windsor Water Pollution Control,<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
As you are aware, the sewer rate for the budget year 2026-2027 has increase $100.00 or a 20 percent increase. The question is why is there such a\u00a0large rate increase this fiscal year?<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
The cost of\u00a0operating\u00a0the treatment facility has drastically increased since the\u00a0beginning\u00a0of Covid with supply chain issues\u00a0and the issues with disposals of our biosolids as well.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
The Covid era created supply chain issues with getting materials and products in\u00a0a\u00a0timely\u00a0and economical\u00a0fashion.\u00a0What\u00a0used\u00a0to take a few weeks now can take months and\u00a0increase cost with limited availability of parts and chemicals. \u00a0The WPCA was not\u00a0increasing\u00a0its\u00a0budget\u00a0at the ideal amount to keep up with inflated cost hoping cost and supply chain issue would correct themselves over time. This has not happened and the\u00a0WPCA needed to correct for this to help keep a 20 plus year old\u00a0facility\u00a0running\u00a0and meeting permit.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
The main drivers of cost increase have been supplies and materials like chlorine for disinfection\u00a0from .99 cents a gallon\u00a0before\u00a0Covid to now\u00a0$2.49 a gallon plus milage charge\u00a0of $5 dollars a mile for delivery.\u00a0Other factors like parts for equipment have increase with limited options for suppliers and the consolidation of the\u00a0manufacturing\u00a0and limited options for older equipment that we currently have in use.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Electricity\u00a0and natural gas are\u00a0other\u00a0items\u00a0we\u00a0cannot\u00a0control\u00a0the price. We are locked in at a favorable rate for generation\u00a0of\u00a0electricity\u00a0for\u00a0most of our usage.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Another\u00a0major factor\u00a0being\u00a0the cost of disposal of our biosolids. Our biosolids are one of the end products of the\u00a0wastewater\u00a0treatment process.\u00a0In\u00a0Connecticut, there are limited options for the disposal of biosolids. Biosolids disposal options include\u00a0railroad\u00a0transportation to states like Ohio\u00a0and further south and west, over the road hauling\u00a0to landfills\u00a0in New York, Pennsylvania and further south and\u00a0west\u00a0in the United States and incineration\u00a0i.e.\u00a0burning\u00a0of the biosolids and disposal of the ash. The East Windsor WPCA\u00a0utilizes\u00a0incineration which includes a price per ton\u00a0to dispose of the biosolids\u00a0and\u00a0a transportation cost. The cost of\u00a0disposal\u00a0has increase for $90 in 2010 to over $ 600 dollars a dry ton in 2026.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Treatment\u00a0facilities\u00a0in the Northeast are\u00a0trying to get places\u00a0to\u00a0incinerate\u00a0their biosolids as they lose their options to go to landfill disposal.\u00a0Biosolids is\u00a0just\u00a0not an East Windsor issue but a regional issue as well. New England is losing their landfill capacity\u00a0and\u00a0other biosolids incinerators\u00a0have\u00a0shut down in other states\u00a0in New England which increase cost because the capacity\u00a0to incinerate and disposal of biosolids has been shrinking over the last 10 to 15 years.\u00a0The cost of biosolids in the\u00a0Northeast\u00a0will only keep on increasing. The East Windsor WPCA is exploring other options but even these options will need large\u00a0capital\u00a0investment in the future.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
The sewer line break on South Water Street is another\u00a0financial burden\u00a0that the WPCA has had to work with. The WPCA\u00a0used their reserve funds from various accounts to pay the cost of the repair which was around 1.2 million dollars. The WPCA has started legal action\u00a0against\u00a0the\u00a0parties involved in this action. This\u00a0situation\u00a0has\u00a0not completely drained are reserves but has put the WPCA in a situation where rates needed to be raised as well.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
As part of the rate increase, $50 dollars of the rate increase will be put towards capital projects for our aging\u00a0infrastructure. The $50.00 per customer will generate $200,000 dollars that will be put towards capital projects like pump replacement, pump station\u00a0upgrades\u00a0and other high dollar items. \u00a0As the WPCA has not or will not receive tax money from Town hall and we have not received any\u00a0federal funds the Town has received\u00a0i.e.\u00a0ARPA funds as well. The WPCA is completely\u00a0self-funded.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
The WPCA understands the finical constraints of this\u00a0economy, the\u00a0WPCA could no longer absorb the cost due to\u00a0circumstances\u00a0out of our control.\u00a0As the WPCA staff keep the aging facility running and\u00a0comply with\u00a0strict\u00a0government\u00a0regulations\u00a0and dynamic world events that are\u00a0beyond\u00a0our control\u00a0but increase our operating cost, the WPCA and staff are doing our best to control cost.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Sincerely,<\/div>\n
Kevin Shlatz<\/div>\n
Superintendent<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
The Town of East Windsor and the Water Pollution Control Authority of East Windsor<\/div>\n
Are Equal Opportunity Provider and Employers.<\/div>\n
Complaints of Discrimination should be sent to: USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Washington DC, 20250-9410<\/div>\n
\u200b<\/span>\u200b<\/span>\u200b<\/span>\u200b<\/span><\/div>\n
\n
<\/div>\n
Kevin Shlatz<\/div>\n
Superintendent<\/div>\n
East Windsor WPCA<\/div>\n
192 South Water Street<\/div>\n
East Windsor Ct<\/div>\n
Phone (860) 292-8264<\/div>\n
\"\"<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

East Windsor Water Pollution Control Authority 2026-2027 Sewer Rate Increase […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_price":"","_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"","_ticket_start_date":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":false,"_tribe_ticket_use_global_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_global_stock_level":"","_global_stock_mode":"","_global_stock_cap":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_going_count":"","_tribe_ticket_not_going_count":"","_tribe_tickets_list":"[]","_tribe_ticket_has_attendee_info_fields":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17645","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-press-releases"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t