MANCHESTER, NH – Manchester residents will see a 19 percent rate increase on their sewer bill following a vote by the Board of Mayor and Aldermen on Tuesday night after the board learned without action, the Manchester Department of Public Works’ Environmental Protection Division (EPD) would see a zero-fund balance by Fiscal Year 2029.
The division oversees various stormwater management projects, including the ongoing Cemetery Brook Drain Tunnel Project, a 12-foot underground combined sewer overflow abatement tunnel placed 80 feet under the ground that will stretch from Mammoth Road to its outflow at the Merrimack River near the Queen City Bridge. The project, which led to the recent eminent domain proceedings with Eighty-Eight Coffee Company, has been mandated by the Environmental Protection Agency for past violations of the Clean Water Act. When completed, the project will help filter the city’s current sewer system during periods of significant water runoff, helping improve the water quality in the Merrimack River.
With the rate increase, EPD would remain solvent until Fiscal Year 2034 under current projections, as the fee increases would go to repay additional revenue bonds needed to complete the project. Currently the city’s sewer rate is approximately $300 a year less than the state average…