Every community has different conditions that affect the ability to provide safe and reliable water and sewer service. Below are primary reasons that Hillsborough’s water and sewer rates are higher than those of some surrounding communities.
Small System
Hillsborough operates a small water and sewer system. A larger system can spread the costs of operations among more customers.
Small Water Supply
The Eno River does not provide a large volume of water. The town is located near the river's beginning, and the drainage basin that feeds into Hillsborough’s waterways is relatively small.
Partnering with a neighboring system is likely not feasible. An evaluation of partnering with the City of Durham found the costs to be too expensive, and Hillsborough is in a different river basin than the Carrboro-Chapel Hill area.
To address water capacity needs — both due to a history of droughts and to accommodate expected growth to the area — the town built a reservoir in the late 1990s and completed an expansion of it in 2022. A large portion of customers' water payments goes toward paying debt on the construction.
State Rules to Protect Falls Lake
Hillsborough is required to treat its wastewater at higher and more expensive standards than other sewer systems because the town's watershed drains into Falls Lake. The lake has been deemed impaired by the Environmental Protection Agency and nutrient-sensitive by the North Carolina Division of Water Resources.
The state's Falls Lake Rules include strict rules for the release of treated wastewater to protect and restore the lake’s water quality. The rules are said to be the nation’s strictest limits on treated wastewater. The first stage of the wastewater discharge rules went into effect in 2016, and the second stage is expected in 2036.
In 2014, Hillsborough completed upgrades to its wastewater treatment plant in part to meet the Stage 1 wastewater rule. A large portion of customers' sewer payments goes toward paying debt on the plant upgrades. Additional upgrades likely will be required to meet Stage 2 rules.
Sewage Pump Stations and Older Infrastructure
Hillsborough has more sewage pump stations than a typical municipality because of its terrain and likely because the infrastructure was preferred decades ago due to its low upfront costs.
The town operates 25 sewage pumping stations in about 5 square miles. Most were built by developers, are at the end of their useful life and were not built to today's standards.
Pump stations are expensive to operate and require a large amount of staff time. Failures can result in sanitary sewer overflows and fines from the state. Gravity is the most cost-effective way to transport water and wastewater.
Some of the town's water and sewer infrastructure existed well before its water and wastewater treatment plants were built. This infrastructure has reached or is reaching the end of its useful life, and the town must budget to replace it.
Commitment to Care
Water and sewer services are expensive to provide. The United States does poorly in maintaining its drinking and wastewater infrastructure, earning grades of C- and D+ in the 2021 Infrastructure Report Card from the American Society of Civil Engineers.
Hillsborough's operations approach includes taking care of what we have. Your water and sewer bill reflects your contribution to the labor and the physical infrastructure required to have clean, accessible water available and to have wastewater removed and safely returned to the environment.
The town does not make a profit from providing water and sewer service nor does it use water and sewer revenue for purposes other than the operation, maintenance and improvement of the town’s water and sewer system.
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