Pottstown Reduces Water Rates for Fire Sprinklers

Photo by Evan Brandt

The crowd of about 25 people gathered Tuesday night to hear if the Pottstown Borough Authority had decided to lower the water rates for fire sprinkler systems.

Who says you can't fight borough hall?

In June, a group of irate residents of the new homes in the Lower Pottsgrove development of Spring Valley Farms showed up at a borough authority meeting I did not attend.

They were upset about the quarter water bills they were receiving, not for the drinking and bath water, but their fire sprinkler systems.

The rates were awfully high, they said, adding with some additional ire, that the fact that they would have to pay these quarterly bills was not disclosed to them when they bought their homes.

There wasn't much that the authority could do about a dispute with their home seller, but they could do something about the rates.

And, to some moderate surprise, they did.

Borough Authority Manager Justin Keller said the finance department took the complaints to heart.

A comparison of the authority's rates to surrounding areas and found that not only had Pottstown not changed them in a long time, but they were on the high side, this despite the fact that he insisted they represented the cost of providing the water and maintaining the water lines.

Nevertheless, most of the 25 or so people at last night's meeting had one-inch water lines that feed their sprinkler systems, and their bills were reduced from $40.58 per quarter to $25 per quarter, a 38.4 percent decrease.

Some, not entirely satisfied with still having to pay such bills on recently purchased homes starting at $290,000, asked for a refund of their previous payments at the higher rate.

There will be no refunds, said Chairman Jeff Chomnuk. "How is that even legal?" asked a homeowner who admitted to not being "technical."

Authority Solicitor Vincent Pompo explained that legally, new rates are "not retroactive."

"Oh, OK," replied the homeowner.

Keller also explained that a separate line for the sprinkler system is necessary to guarantee maximum pressure at all times. "If you had one line and you were watering your lawn when a fire started, we would not be able to guarantee there would be enough pressure for the sprinkler system when its needed," he said.

"I'm happy," said another.

The reduction in rates is not even the biggest savings. According to the rates Keller outlined verbally, those with a 1.5-inch line to their sprinkler systems will see a 61 percent decrease, from $77 per quarter to $30.

Those with a two-inch line will see a 54 percent reduction from $86.63 per quarter to $40 per quarter, he said.

A three-quarter-inch line will see a 6.5 percent savings, from $21.40 per quarter to $20 per quarter under the new rates adopted last night.

And with that, here are the Tweets from the meeting

Getting Sprinkled With Savings