AVALON – The borough has responded to federal and state mandates requiring testing for lead service lines with a limited surcharge that will be imposed from this July to April 2028, when the surcharge will sunset. A quarterly charge of $10 for each water/sewer meter will be assessed to cover the cost of testing for lead service lines and replacing any that are found.
The mandates require an expensive testing process. Borough Administrator Scott Wahl told the Borough Council it is unlikely lead will be found in a community that has a continuous protocol for infrastructure maintenance. But Wahl said the mandates exist, and therefore the expense does as well.
Several communities in the state have raised water rates to pay for a multiyear inspection process. Avalon elected to go with a surcharge dedicated to the task; the charge will end when the testing is completed, after 16 billing cycles. No permanent change to rates was involved.
The ordinance adding the surcharge was adopted at the Wednesday, April 24, meeting of the council. No member of the public addressed the ordinance at the public hearing.
Contact the reporter, Vince Conti, at vconti@cmcherald.com.