SHOWN HERE are two East Ohio Regional Water Authority’s digesters that recently were retrofitted to allow for the capture of gas that is now used to power a microturbine to create electricity to run the facility. The work was part of a $5.3 million project. File photo/SHELLEY HANSON

MARTINS FERRY — Valerie Moore, East Ohio Regional Water Authority executive director, on Friday described her facility’s use of water consumption rates as fair and accurate — contrary to what a local mayor believes.

Moore’s response comes on the heels of Martins Ferry Mayor John Davies’ comments Wednesday about the authority’s use of the city’s water consumption data. Davies does not believe EORWA should be basing its rates on the city’s customers’ water consumption.

“I don’t agree with the philosophy. To me, to do a price increase in business, you have to have a justifiable means to drive that increase — not because someone lowered their minimum or raised it,” Davies said during Wednesday’s council meeting. “It is supply and demand — unless you have a monopoly, which they have. You pay whatever they say and like it. That’s what’s been going on for a couple years. I don’t agree with it. … Whatever we charge shouldn’t reflect anything they charge.”

Davies so strongly disagrees with the authority’s method that he suggested to council that the city build its own sewage treatment plant.

In response to Davies’ comments, Moore said, “Metering of water consumption is a process the Ohio EPA emphasizes as a way to fairly and accurately monitor and charge customers for both water and sewer.”

She noted the authority is guided by bylaws created on June 4, 1958. It has a board of trustees that includes members appointed by the mayors from each community it serves. It is also governed by Ohio Revised Code.

“These appointed Trustees are given the task to treat all customers in an equal and fair manner,” she said. “The current five-year Rate Resolution covers EORWA rates from January 1, 2018, through December 31, 2022. The base rate of $29 per month has stayed the same since January 1, 2018.”

Moore said she recommended to the trustees that the $29 per month base rate remain the same.

“The question of the minimum allowable consumption is not a number controlled by the Trustees or the management of EORWA but is an average of the minimum water allowance from each community EORWA serves,” she said.

Moore noted the following minimum allowable consumption amounts apply in each community the authority serves: Bellaire, 2,000 gallons; Bridgeport, 2,000 gallons; Brookside, 2,500 gallons; and Martins Ferry, 2,500 gallons.

“Currently the average of all communities served by EORWA is 2,375. Martins Ferry is the only community EORWA serves to lower their minimum consumption several times in the last few years. Martins Ferry lowering their minimum consumption over the last few years has caused all the communities to have a lower minimum consumption from EORWA,” Moore said.

She said while the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency says metering of water consumption is the best way to monitor and charge customers, without proper metering “a one-person household would be paying the same as a family of five.”

“The Ohio EPA publishes a Design Flow chart based on number of bedrooms to use in cases where meter reads are unavailable or estimated,” she added. “A meeting was held with EORWA, former Mayor (Robert) Krajnyak, and former Service Director Chris Cleary informing City management Martins Ferry had approximately 600 meters out of 2959 not operating properly.”

If the authority had followed the guidelines set by the OEPA, the rate structure would have been higher, she said. For example, a one-bedroom home would have been charged $31.88 per month; a two-bedroom home $49.16; a three-bedroom home $66.44; a four-bedroom home $83.72; and a five-bedroom home $101 per month.

“It was agreed this rate structure would be a hardship on customers either not having a meter or not an operating meter. A compromise was reached to add a $5 surcharge plus the minimum EORWA usage as the estimated rate. This rate would only go into effect after the second estimated read is received. Currently the city of Martins Ferry is the only community having more than a few estimated reads,” Moore said.

“The circumstances surrounding Martins Ferry not having properly working meters allow customers to not be billed fairly and accurately. For example, if a household uses 6,000 gallons and is metered and another household has the same consumption and is unmetered, the metered customer pays more.”

Moore added Martins Ferry in 2013 extended its original contract with EORWA by 25 years.

“In addition, the city of Martins Ferry, as per the Ohio EPA, was issued a Community Combined Sewer Discharge Permit from EORWA on June 29, 2016. The purpose of this permit is to outline the conditions pursuant to Title IV of the Combined Sewer Code of EORWA to be allowed to discharge into facilities owned by EORWA. One of the conditions of the Combined Sewer Discharge Permit is to provide EORWA with monthly meter reads by customer.

“The most current Ohio EPA Sewer and Water Survey from 2018 bases all data on consumption,” she said.