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Metropolitan Sewer Sub-District to Implement Sewer Service Fee

November 11, 2010

Greenville, S.C. (November 11, 2010) – Metropolitan Sewer Sub-District (MSSD) will implement a sewer service fee in order to provide funding and continue its Capital Improvement Program (CIP). The CIP was developed by MSSD in 1995 to eliminate recurring problems and operational deficiencies identified by the sewer inspection and assessment program. Through the CIP, MSSD is able to address issues that can cause serious problems to the sewer system before they impact homes and business owners. These problems may include roots growing within the pipe system, damaged pipes from construction activities in public right of ways and structural defects that may arise due to age.

The CIP is currently under-funded by the District’s tax millage of 5.7 mills collected by Greenville County. The yearly cost of the CIP has averaged nearly $2,000,000 over the last 5 years, which only encompasses the cost of repairs that directly impact system performance. Without additional income through sewer service fees, MSSD will be forced to significantly reduce its funding of these types of projects which will jeopardize the future performance of the system and restrict growth within the District.

MSSD’s commission and staff researched all available means before determining this was the best option for the funding. MSSD’s customer base is primarily single-family residential homes, a sewer service fee schedule was developed to charge a fee prorated on the water use analysis. The fee is not a taxation but will be charged to users of the sewer system on the annual real estate tax bill distributed at the end of the calendar year. MSSD also determined that this fee is lower than the fees of comparable sewer systems.

The sewer service fee will benefit users of the Metro both short and long term. Short term, the funds received from the fee will keep the system operating at an acceptable performance level. Long term, users will not be burdened with additional costs associated with emergency repairs. The sewer service fee will allow Metro to continue its proactive approach of finding and repairing problems before they become a major issue.
For more information about the sewer service fee, please visit www.mssd-gvl.com.

Metropolitan Sewer Sub-District (MSSD)
The Metropolitan Sewer Sub-District (MSSD) is a special purpose district created by the state legislature in 1969 to operate and maintain sanitary sewer facilities within Greenville County. Today, MSSD serves approximately 59,000 taxpayers with more than 600 miles of collector lines and is governed by a five-member board of commissioners – James R. Freeland, Jim Gregorie, Charles F. Styles, M. Graham Proffitt, III and William C. Lindsey. This collection system transports wastewater from area homes and businesses to ReWa’s trunk lines and 15 major wastewater treatment plants. MSSD’s 168-square mile service area stretches from northern Greenville County in the Travelers Rest area to near Moonville in the southern portion of the county.
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