Hopewell officials propose 40% sewer rate increase to cover treatment plant maintenance after overflow

HOPEWELL, Va. (WRIC) -- In a special meeting on Tuesday, officials with Hopewell Water Renewal proposed increasing prices of sewer service as a means to generate money for maintenance at the wastewater treatment plant.

Equipment issues at the plant have caused several sewage leaks in the past year, most recently over a million gallons on July 11 after an equipment outage. Officials said they have been aware of these problems at the plant, but haven’t had the money to fix them.

A study presented in a meeting on Tuesday, July 22 suggested raising the sewer rates by 40% compared to 2025 would bring the rate in line with inflation, and generate more funding for the city.

ALL COVERAGE: Hopewell Wastewater Treatment Plant Issues

“Since there was not a rate increase since 2017, in that period of time that’s a lot of deferred maintenance that did not happen because the money was not there,” said Interim City Manager Michael Rogers at the meeting. “So now this 40 percent increase is necessary, to kind of catch up.”

This month’s leak was caused by faulty wiring, but since 2024, the Virginia Department of Environment Quality (DEQ) noted eight incidents where sewage was discharged into nearby waters due to mechanical failures or other equipment issues.

An inspection by DEQ on Nov. 22, 2024 found multiple instances of broken or out of service equipment.

“Years of neglect take a long time to fix, and a lot of money. And that’s a significant challenge, not only for Hopewell water renewal but for the city and our contribution to that plant,” said Director of Water Renewal Michael Crocker Jr.

With the 40% rate increase, households that consume 2,200 gallons monthly would see a bill increase of $5.26 from FY 2025 to FY 2026.

Crocker said any rate change would have to be formally adopted by Hopewell Council before going into effect.

8News reached out to Crocker with additional questions on how much the total repairs at Hopewell Water Renewal will cost, and how long it will to take to generate that funding with the new rates.

At the time of reporting, we are still waiting to hear back.