Rate Hike Proposed For Union City Households

UNION CITY, CA — Union City wastewater bills could go up $25 to $27 each year for single-family homes, if a proposed rate hike by Union Sanitary District is approved.

The current annual rate for single-family homes is $611.58. If approved, the rate would increase to $636.03 starting in July of 2025.

The District is proposing rate increases over the next five years to continue funding capital projects required by new state regulations for the San Francisco Bay and to support reliable and robust operations for the next 40 years.

A Public Hearing on the proposed rate changes will be held on Jan. 27, 2025.

The proposed increases are based on the results of a comprehensive study of the cost of providing sewer service from July 2025 through June 2030, in compliance with Prop 218, according to the district.

If you would like to review the study, it is available online.

For background information, the District reports, "In July 2024, the San Francisco Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB) adopted new, more stringent nutrient reduction requirements for all 37 Bay Area wastewater facilities. USD had anticipated the potential for these new regulations as far back as 2015 as it began evaluating its future infrastructure needs. These deliberations led to undertaking the Enhanced Treatment and Site Upgrade Program (ETSU), the largest capital improvement project in District history, with a total project cost of $509,511,993. Construction began in 2022 and is scheduled to be completely operational by 2030. This undertaking makes USD an early adopter of nutrient removal technologies. Acting early allowed USD to secure low-interest loans from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the State which significantly lower the District’s interest expense and allow USD to minimize rate increases."

A community meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025, at the Fremont Main Library, 2400 Stevenson Boulevard. Staff will make a presentation and answer questions. "All community members are invited to attend," said General Manager Paul Eldredge. "We hope everyone takes the opportunity to come see what is happening at USD and to get updates on the San Francisco Bay Third Watershed Permit and construction activities at the wastewater treatment plant."

Union Sanitary District operates a 33-million gallon per day wastewater treatment facility in Union City and provides collection, treatment and disposal services to a population ofover 342,000 in Fremont, Newark, and Union City.

"The cost of operating and maintaining these facilities continues to rise significantly every year, often outpacing inflation," said Eldredge. "USD will continue to seek cost saving and other measures to keep increases as low as possible."

The District maintains more than 839 miles of sewer lines, seven pump stations, and the buildings and equipment at its 33-acre wastewater treatment plant in Union City.