Water Authority's New Fee Explained

When Coopersburg public water customers open up their quarterly statements from the borough authority, they're encountering an additional charge of $25.

At a recent Coopersburg Borough Council meeting, that charge was explained, after council member Steve Lundy commented that some residents have questioned him about it.

Borough Manager Tim Paashaus explained that the fee was imposed to help subsidize the cost of new, state-of-the-art water meters.

Each meter cost more than $400, so the authority actually absorbed more than half the total cost of the purchase, he noted.

If it hadn't, council vice president Dennis Balascak said, "the water rates would have gone up."

"The meter itself is a high-tech upgrade meter," he added. "They just drive down the street and with two radio frequencies the meter is read."

The fee is being imposted for eight consecutive quarters, to help recover the cost of the new meters.