City of Oregon Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) Secondary Treatment Improvement Project Phases 1 & 2 FAQ Sheet

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1 City of Oregon Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) Secondary Treatment Improvement Project Phases 1 & 2 FAQ Sheet WHY IS THE CITY OF OREGON DOING THIS PROJECT? Along with other communities across the country, the City of Oregon is being required to upgrade its WWTP facilities in order to eliminate WWTP bypasses and sanitary sewer overflows that are detrimental to Lake Erie. These system bypasses are illegal and in accordance to the City of Oregon s Ohio EPA National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permit No. 2PD00035*MD, the City is required by the OEPA to increase the secondary treatment capacity of the Oregon WWTP from 24 million gallons per day (MGD) to 36 MGD. This project will eliminate secondary treatment bypasses to Lake Erie and sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs) to Otter Creek during wet weather events. Per the Compliance Schedule of the said permit, the project will be constructed in two (2) phases and be completed by the end of WHAT IS SECONDARY TREATMENT AND WHY IS THIS PROJECT BEING REQUIRED BY THE OHIO EPA? Secondary treatment is the biological treatment of wastewater which occurs after primary treatment (removal of solids). During large rain events, the City of Oregon WWTP receives a tremendous amount of flow from the sanitary sewer collection system. Typically, this flow is ten times that of a dry weather flow. This is due to stormwater Inflow and Infiltration (I/I) sources in the collection system (see for more information on I/I) In order for the existing treatment process to accommodate flows of up to ten times normal dry weather flow, secondary treatment is sometimes bypassed during large rain events. Flows are sent through primary settling tanks, disinfected, and then released to Lake Erie. This bypass is in direct violation of the City s Ohio EPA NPDES permit, and because of this, the Ohio EPA is requiring the City to expand the WWTP to accommodate these storm flows. This work is in conjunction with sanitary sewer rehabilitation in the collection system to eliminate I/I sources, which is also being required by the Ohio EPA. SSOs and sewage backups occur during the same large rain events noted above. Wet weather SSOs occur when sewage is released from a manhole in the collection system due to the sewer being overwhelmed with a combination of I/I and wastewater flow. Sanitary sewer backups can also occur in the basements of homes or businesses, especially when the structure is located in low lying areas, such as the valleys of Otter Creek. WHAT IS THE PROJECT COST? Phase 1 (2014 / 2015) of the WWTP Secondary Treatment Improvements includes the replacement of two (2) influent screens, replacement of three (3) raw sewage pump motor drives, replacement of two (2) blowers, full replacement of air piping and replacement of air diffusers in aeration tanks, a dissolved oxygen control system, site restoration, and associated Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) upgrades. In addition to meeting the OEPA mandate, Phase 1 will also improve the plant efficiency by reducing energy costs. Total Phase 1 Project Cost: $7,630,213 Phase 2 (2016 / 2017) of the WWTP Secondary Treatment Improvements includes the construction of a new final clarifier with associated secondary sludge pumping facilities, disinfection improvements consisting of the replacement of chlorine feed and safety equipment, effluent pump replacement and improvements, site restoration, and associated SCADA upgrades. Total Phase 2 Project cost is estimated at $6,863,100. HOW IS THE CITY OF OREGON PAYING FOR THIS PROJECT? The City of Oregon will pay for the project through a combination of grants and loans from the Ohio Public Works Commission (OPWC) and the Ohio EPA Water Pollution Control Loan Fund. The loans will be paid through the establishment of capital improvement charges (one per phase), which will be charged to all sewer customers over the 20 year loan term. This includes outside customers residing in the Northwestern Water and Sewer District and sewered areas of Lucas County (Reno Beach / Howard Farms, Village of Harbor View). See attached Debt Service Expense Schedule. WHAT IS A CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT (CI) CHARGE? The capital improvement charge is a charge equal to the total project cost expenses and/or debt service expenses attributable to the WWTP project, divided by the estimated wastewater volume of users tributary to the WWTP. See attached Debt Service Expense Schedule and Oregon Municipal Code (OMC) Please note, the City of Oregon s current water and sewer rates are dedicated for operational expenses (treatment, maintenance, and billing and collection). The capital improvement charge is created to pay debt for a particular capital improvement project, in this case, the Oregon WWTP Secondary Treatment Improvements Project. Once all project loans are paid, the respective capital improvement charge will be removed from the sewer bill. HOW WILL THIS PROJECT COST AFFECT MY SEWER BILL? The minimum sewer bill will increase by $8.58 / quarter or $34.32 / year for Phase 1 (2015). The average sewer bill (1,037 cu. ft. / month) will increase $13.35 / quarter or $53.36 / year for Phase 1 (2015). The estimated minimum sewer bill will increase by $5.48 / quarter or $21.92 / year for Phase 2 (2017). The estimated average sewer bill (1,037 cu. ft. month) will increase by $8.53 / quarter or $34.12 / year for Phase 2 (2017). HOW DO OREGON WATER AND SEWER RATES COMPARE TO OTHER AREA WATER AND SEWER UTILITY PROVIDERS? See the 2014 water and sewer rate comparison for Northwest Ohio on the reverse side. Turn over for Regional Water and Sewer Rate Comparison

2 REGIONAL WATER AND SEWER RATE COMPARISON DATA FROM OHIO EPA S 2013 SEWER AND WATER RATE SURVEY (PUBLISHED: SEP. 2014) AND/OR MORE CURRENT DATA, AS NOTED BELOW Annual Water & Sewer Cost Based On Rate 1,037 cu. ft. / month (Average Use), Year rounded to nearest dollar NW Ohio Water & Sewer Utility Water Sewer Water & Sewer Napoleon 2013 $ 723 $ 887 $ 1610 Defiance 2013 $ 625 $ 798 $ 1423 Lucas County (6)(7) 2011 $ 510 $ 815 $ 1325 Perrysburg 2013 $ 524 $ 799 $ 1323 Fremont 2012 $ 608 $ 615 $ 1223 Maumee 2013 $ 576 $ 411 $ 987 Toledo (8) 2014 $ 205 $ 616 $ 821 Sandusky 2011 $ 285 $ 531 $ 816 Sylvania 2014 $ 555 $ 251 $ 806 Findlay 2013 $ 358 $ 424 $ 782 NWSD (7) 2013 $ 289 $ 371 $ 660 Lima 2013 $ 252 $ 352 $ 604 Bowling Green (9) 2013 $ 204 $ 390 $ 594 Oregon (1) 2014 $ 173 $ 321 $ 494 Oregon (2) 2015 $ 173 $ 374 $ 547 Oregon (3) 2017 $ 173 $ 408 $ 581 Current Water and Sewer Utility Rates - Average Use - (1,037 cu. ft. / month) Water Rate = $13.90 x 1,037 cu. ft. x 12 Months = $ / Year (2006) 1,000 cu. ft. Month Year Sewer Rate = $25.82 x 1,037 cu. ft. x 12 Months = $ / Year (2009) 1,000 cu. ft. Month Year WWTP Secondary Treatment Capital Improvement (CI) Charges to be in addition to above stated current sewer rate: Capital Improvement Charges - Average Use - (1,037 cu. ft. / month) CI Charge = $ 4.29 x 1,037 cu. ft. x 12 Months = $53.38 / Year WWTP Phase 1 1,000 cu. ft. Month Year (2015) CI Charge = $ 2.74 x 1,037 cu. ft. x 12 Months = $34.10 / Year WWTP Phase 2 1,000 cu. ft. Month Year (2017) NOTES: (1) Current City of Oregon Water and Sewer Rates are dedicated for operational expenses (treatment, maintenance, billing) only. (2) City of Oregon Water and Sewer Rates with WWTP Phase 1 Capital Improvement Charge (2015) (3) City of Oregon Water and Sewer Rates with WWTP Phase 2 Capital Improvement Charge (2017) (4) The WWTP CI Charges only apply to Sewer Users or Customers. Water only Customers will not be affected by this CI charge. (5) The costs above are based on the average water use of 1,037 cubic feet (cu. ft.) per month or 7,756 gallons per month. Oregon s current minimum sewer bill (inside City customer) is based on 2,000 cu. ft. per quarter (3-month period), which is equivalent to $51.64 per quarter (($25.82 / 1,000 cu. ft.) X 2,000 cu. ft.). The minimum sewer bill will increase by $8.58 / quarter or $2.86 / month for the Phase 1 CI Charge, which is equal to an additional $34.32 / year. Phase 2 CI Charge will be an additional $21.92 / year for the minimum sewer bill. (6) The rates listed for Lucas County include areas outside the City of Oregon, which are subject to the City of Toledo s outside water rates and sewer rates established for the Lucas County WWTP. (7) Lucas County (LC) and Northwestern Water and Sewer District (NWSD) customers in the Oregon service area pay a water rate equal to Oregon s (inside user) water rate plus a 50% surcharge and other district or county fees. LC and NWSD s sewer rate is equal to Oregon s sewer rate plus a debt charge of $4.03 / 1,000 cu. ft. and other district or county fees. Both LC and NWSD customers will be required to pay the Oregon WWTP CI Charges. (8) Rates calculated per City of Toledo website document found at toledo.oh.gov/media/58270/toledo-city-limits-2014-rates-chart- 5.pdf (9) Rates per City of Bowling Green website found at

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6 REGIONAL WATER AND SEWER RATE COMPARISON DATA FROM OHIO EPA S 2013 SEWER AND WATER RATE SURVEY (PUBLISHED: SEP. 2014) AND/OR MORE CURRENT DATA, AS NOTED BELOW Annual Water & Sewer Cost Based On Rate 1,037 cu. ft. / month (Average Use), Year rounded to nearest dollar NW Ohio Water & Sewer Utility Water Sewer Water & Sewer Napoleon 2013 $ 723 $ 887 $ 1610 Defiance 2013 $ 625 $ 798 $ 1423 Lucas County (6) 2011 $ 510 $ 815 $ 1325 Perrysburg 2013 $ 524 $ 799 $ 1323 Fremont 2012 $ 608 $ 615 $ 1223 Maumee 2013 $ 576 $ 411 $ 987 Toledo (7) 2014 $ 205 $ 616 $ 821 Sandusky 2011 $ 285 $ 531 $ 816 Sylvania 2014 $ 555 $ 251 $ 806 Findlay 2013 $ 358 $ 424 $ 782 NWSD (6) 2013 $ 289 $ 371 $ 660 Lima 2013 $ 252 $ 352 $ 604 Bowling Green (8) 2014 $ 204 $ 390 $ 594 Oregon (1) 2014 $ 173 $ 321 $ 494 Oregon (2) 2015 $ 173 $ 374 $ 547 Oregon (3) 2017 $ 173 $ 408 $ 581 Oregon (4) 2017 $ 194 $ 408 $ 602 Current Water and Sewer Utility Rates - Average Use - (1,037 cu. ft. / month) Water Rate = $13.90 x 1,037 cu. ft. x 12 Months = $ / Year (2006) 1,000 cu. ft. Month Year Sewer Rate = $25.82 x 1,037 cu. ft. x 12 Months = $ / Year (2009) 1,000 cu. ft. Month Year WWTP Secondary Treatment Capital Improvement (CI) Charges to be in addition to above stated current sewer rate: Capital Improvement Charges - Average Use - (1,037 cu. ft. / month) CI Charge = $ 4.29 x 1,037 cu. ft. x 12 Months = $53.38 / Year WWTP Phase 1 1,000 cu. ft. Month Year (2015) CI Charge = $ 2.74 x 1,037 cu. ft. x 12 Months = $34.10 / Year WWTP Phase 2 1,000 cu. ft. Month Year (2017) WTP Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) Capital Improvement (CI) Charge to be in addition to above stated current water rate: CI Charge = $ 1.65 x 1,037 cu. ft. x 12 Months = $20.54 / Year WTP HAB 1,000 cu. ft. Month Year (2017) NOTES: (1) Current City of Oregon Water and Sewer Rates are dedicated for operational expenses (treatment, maintenance, billing) only. (2) City of Oregon Water and Sewer Rates with WWTP Phase 1 Capital Improvement Charge (2015) (3) City of Oregon Water and Sewer Rates with WWTP Phase 2 Capital Improvement Charge (2017) (4) City of Oregon Water and Sewer Rates with proposed Water Treatment Plant Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) Improvement (2017) (5) Oregon s current minimum sewer bill (inside City customer) is based on 2,000 cu. ft. per quarter (3-month period), which is equivalent to $51.64 per quarter (($25.82 / 1,000 cu. ft.) x 2,000 cu. ft.). The minimum sewer bill will increase by $8.58 / quarter or $2.86 / month for the Phase 1 CI Charge, which is equal to an additional $34.32 / year. Phase 2 CI Charge will be an additional $21.92 / year for the minimum sewer bill. (6) Lucas County (LC) and Northwestern Water and Sewer District (NWSD) customers in the Oregon service area pay a water rate equal to Oregon s (inside user) water rate plus a 50% surcharge and other district or county fees. LC and NWSD s sewer rate is equal to Oregon s sewer rate plus a debt charge of $4.03 / 1,000 cu. ft. and other district or county fees. Both LC and NWSD customers will be required to pay the Oregon WWTP CI Charges. (7) Rates per City of Toledo website found at toledo.oh.gov/media/58270/toledo-city-limits-2014-rates-chart-5.pdf (8) Rates per City of Bowling Green website found at

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