WEST WILDWOOD – West Wildwood’s residential sewage rate will rise 16%, instead of the predicted 20%, Commissioner Joseph Segrest announced Jan. 7.
The rise, as the Herald reported in a Dec. 10 article, is primarily due to storm and ocean water that finds its way into the sewage system. This foreign water must then be processed, which puts strain on the borough’s aging infrastructure.
Speaking on the borough’s larger sea and storm-related problems, Mayor Matthew Ksiazek said, “I understand what a burden it is,” adding that the borough will seek funding assistance from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to deal with issues like the bulkheads and stormwater intrusion.
The EPA recently saw a $14 billion projected spending increase that the mayor hopes to tap into.
Segrest said that the rise in rates was not yet reflected in the most recent bills that went out, but that the rates will be reflected soon.
