Orion Township is one of two suburban communities in Oakland County that could see a lowered water rate from the Detroit Department of Water and Sewerage in the coming year.
According to information from the Southeast Oakland County Water Authority, Detroit is proposing to charge Orion Township a rate of $16.31, compared to the current rate of $16.72, per 1,000 cubic feet. It is estimated that the average Detroit Water customer uses 3,000 cubic feet per quarter.
The decreased rate would result in a 2.45 percent drop for Orion Township. Detroit has also proposed to lower the rate for West Bloomfield Township from $17.97 to $17.67, a 1.67 percent drop. Rates for other communities in the county are expected to rise about 9 percent this year.
The Detroit Board of Water Commissioners have approved the proposed rates, and the Detroit City Council will vote on them on Feb. 6.
If approved, new rates will be effective this July.
“We started looking at this water rate two years ago,” said Orion Township Supervisor Jerry Dywasuk. “We got our engineers involved, because we felt (the rate) was out of line.”
Dywasuk called the previous rates “exorbitant,” and said the proposed decreased rate is partially a result of studies done by the township’s engineers.
“I think (Detroit) finally realized they were out of line,” he said. “Because before, they were basing our rate on water used by General Motors…they also weren’t considering that we were the farthest community from Detroit.”
Dywasuk said the township has yet to decide how this news will effect the water rate the township charges its residents.
“(Public Works Director) Bill Ireland will have a report for us at the Feb. 18 (board of trustees) meeting,” Dywasuk said. “That will explain what’s going on and the effect it will have on water rates.
“It’s good news though,” he said. “It’s like fighting city hall.”