SEWER FEES & SERVICES

ALL FEES ARE NON-REFUNDABLE

• RESOLUTION 2025-20 Water-Sewer-Sani-Rates

  • Per Unit: 1 unit = 5,000 gallon minimum 
    • $110/unit/quarter for the first 5,000 gallons (occupied or unoccupied)
    • $4/1,000 gallons over the first 5,000
  • Flat Rate: $158/quarter
  • Sewer Tapping Fee: $3,133.30 connection fee per EDU
    • The construction and cost of the service lateral from the sewer main is the property owner's responsibility

• RESOLUTION 2026-23 SEO Fees

  • 15% overhead will be added to these fees

• Sewer System Rules & Regulations
  

NOTICE TO ALL RESIDENTS AND PROPERTY OWNERS

"I have a problem with my Water or Sewage system. What do I do?"

Orwigsburg Borough requires all Water and Sewer utility customers to notify the Borough Office when there is any situation involving these systems requiring maintenance performed by a contractor. 

For example...if your property has an apparent clog in the waste system resulting in your need to hire a contractor (i.e. Roto Rooter, Plumber or others) to remove a clog, you must notify the Borough before you do. This will allow the Borough to perform an inspection to determine where the problem lies and to possible resolve the problem. Failure to contract the Borough in advance may result in all costs being your responsibility.

The Borough, at its discretion, may hire the contractor...might perform the work itself... or, if the issue is determined to be the property owner's responsibility, recommend to the owner that they hire the contractor.

As a reminder, DO NOT FLUSH any items except toilet paper. The items that say "FLUSHABLE" are not going to dissolve and will hang up on any imperfection in the sewer lines. The Borough has very old, terracotta lines, with root intrusions, that create great locations to build a blockage. In addition, DO NOT POUR grease or oils down the drain. Grease and oil will coagulate quickly, and flushing hot water down behind the grease and oil does not help. The hot water cools much more rapidly that you imagine.

Sanitary Sewer: Things you always wanted to know but never asked.

We all have questions about our sewer system, but never ask. We are hoping to share some helpful facts about one of our most important resources.

A sanitary sewer building lateral is the extension from the building sewer outside the inner face of the building wall and extending to the public sewer or other place of disposal. The building lateral belongs to the owner of the property, making it the homeowner’s responsibility to maintain. When a home is constructed, the builders must connect the building lateral to the sewer main which is known as “tapping”. The process of tapping also has an associated fee which is meant to pay for and secure a portion or share of the sewage and/or water capacity needed in the collection, conveyance, and treatment facilities. It is considered a “buy in” to the sanitary sewer system and payment for facility costs not funded by user rates.

The Borough receives several calls annually about sewage back-ups into property owner’s homes. The most common reason for these back-ups can be traced to tree-roots. Roots of plants, shrubs, etc. will seek out a water source, particularly in dry weather, and in many cases will intrude into the building lateral. Significant tree root intrusions can cause sewer back-ups on your property as well as blockages in the Borough’s sewer mains. The Borough maintains these sewer mains, but the building laterals are the homeowner’s responsibility. It is a common misconception that the property owner’s responsibility ends at the house/building trap (a device fitting normally found up to 5 feet outside the inner face of the building wall that prevents circulation of air and/or noxious gases from the building sewer to the building drain). However, this is not the case as the homeowner’s responsibility is on both sides of the trap and extending out to the property line.

Many homes in the Borough have building laterals made of tera-cotta (or vitrified clay) pipes. Tera-cotta was a very common industry standard pipe component used during the time of installation for the Borough’s sanitary sewer system. These pipes, by their very nature, have joints that over time can allow easy access for roots to enter and grow into the pipe. Once the roots enter and become established the “root-balls” grow as more and more water and nutrients are absorbed. Almost anything flushed down a toilet, or disposed of down a sink, can get hung up leading to a clog that could force sewage back into the home.

To prevent these potential clogs from happening there are several items that should never be disposed of down a sink or toilet including tissues, paper towels, sanitary napkins and tampons, baby wipes, personal hygiene wipes, etc. In addition, never pour oil or grease down the sink. While it may go down the drain as a liquid, this grease will thicken and harden as soon as it encounters the cold pipes underground This hardened grease will adhere to the inner walls of your building lateral causing a restriction in flow which could also lead to sewer back-ups.

There are times when the Borough discovers large quantities of grease in the sewer main. This build-up can cause numerous issues within the Borough’s sewage collection system. To help combat this issue, commercial establishments in the Borough are required to install and maintain grease traps. Residents are also asked to do their part to prevent blockages and encouraged not to pour oils and greases down the drain.

Tori Morgan, LO 

Director of Funding, Regulatory Relations & Compliance Entech Engineering