By Cindi Andrews
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Sewer rates across Hamilton County could nearly double in the next six years if the Metropolitan Sewer District gets the go-ahead for its $1.5 billion proposal to stop sewage backups into basements, streets and streams.

Rates will have to increase 14.9 percent next year alone, MSD estimated Monday - from an average annual bill of $306 this year to $352 next year. By 2009, MSD officials expect the average residential bill to be about $600 a year.

Miami Heights resident Phil Heil is just fine with climbing sewage bills. He recently bought a two-family rental in Price Hill that floods with sewage during heavy rains.

"Given the prospect of paying more money or the prospect of having raw sewage in my basement, I'll pay more money," Heil said. "Who wants to live in a city where how many thousands of homes get sewage backed up in their basement?"

In October, the countywide sewer district unveiled a $1.5 billion plan to overhaul sewer lines and stop overflows by 2022. The plan - called a consent decree - was hammered out with the Environmental Protection Agency to bring MSD in compliance with clean water laws and avoid a lawsuit by the Sierra Club.

Hamilton County, like many large metropolitan areas, has an aging sewer system that gets inundated with storm water during intense rainstorms. In older areas such as Cheviot, the pipes aren't big enough to hold it all, and the mixture of storm water and sewage is forced up through drains and toilets into people's basements. It can also overflow through storm drains and manholes into streets and waterways.

Under the proposed consent decree, MSD would start paying residents for damage caused by sewage backups into their basements. The utility would make fixes to prevent further backups, believed to occur in 1,000 or more homes countywide. The decree also calls for an end to the overflows into public areas.

The expected repair costs are most of the reason for MSD's expected fee increases, released Monday. Director Patrick Karney has previously said the consent decree could force rates to triple by 2022.

However, Hamilton County commissioners have the final say on sewer rates, and Commissioner Todd Portune said MSD should rethink plans to expand sewers in western Hamilton County and other construction projects before planning rate hikes.

"We need to scrutinize the existing five-year capital-improvement plan and determine whether any or all of the projects in there are unnecessary at this time," he said. "MSD has taken the posture that what is in there is cast in stone."

County commissioners, Cincinnati City Council and U.S. Judge Arthur Spiegel have not yet approved the consent decree. The city and county could tweak it, but if the judge doesn't accept the final document, the Sierra Club could press forward with its lawsuit.

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E-mail candrews@enquirer.com