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Councilors press city on consent decree and 9.7% water/sewer increase; city says consent decree nearly complete but court approval needed
Summary
Councilors raised concerns about a nearly 9.7% water and sewer increase; DPW and finance officials said much of the consent decree work (sewer-line lining) is nearly finished and that moving beyond the decree requires court action and EPA approval, with CDM Smith and outside counsel involved in ongoing work.
Councilors pressed Revere officials on June 10 about a substantial water and sewer rate increase and the city’s ongoing consent decree obligations under federal clean-water enforcement.
Councilor Argencio and Councilor McKenna asked whether the major rate increase for the water and sewer enterprise is a one-time correction and what steps the city is taking to contain future increases. A finance or DPW representative told the committee the consent decree work addressing sewer inflow and infiltration is “about 98%” complete.
“We just recently had a meeting with the EPA and we went over what the ask of the consent decree is and Mhmm. That process moving forward. It's we're getting near to the completion. We're about 98%,” a DPW/finance official said. The official said completion of the required work improves the system and should reduce rainwater entering the sewer system, which in turn reduces MWRA charges tied to excess flow.
However, the official said removing the city from the consent decree is an EPA and court process that requires petitioning the court; the city currently has outside counsel under contract for the matter. “For them to allow us to get out of the consent decree, we have to have a reasonable level of control,” another official said, noting the EPA determines what the reasonable level is.
Councilor McKenna pressed whether CDM Smith will continue to be involved; officials said the consent-decree management work was put out to bid and multiple engineering firms bid, and that the city is seeking competitive pricing.
At times the discussion grew pointed: one councilor criticized the ongoing demands of the consent decree as effectively open-ended and urged the city to “fight to stop this madness,” while DPW staff repeated that the federal Clean Water Act and EPA oversight under the consent-decree framework require the city to demonstrate reasonable control of sanitary sewer overflows and infiltration.
No formal action was taken during the hearing; councilors requested further updates and indicated they expect continued oversight of consent-decree progress, legal strategy and rate impacts going forward.
