The city of Durango may change a new sewer-rate structure that outraged residents a few months ago. But some residents say they’re still not happy.

The Durango City Council is scheduled to hold a public hearing April 15 that could reduce the flat-rate fee from 5,000 gallons of water a month to 3,000 for La Plata County customers who get sewer service only from the city.

The sewer fee went to a flat rate of 5,000 gallons of water a month in January after a dispute between the city and Animas Water Co.

Juliane Mortello said she still feels she’s being overbilled. Her sewer bill rose from about $24.50 to $62.27, a 154 percent increase, in January.

“The issue I have with the 3,000 gallons is that I use 1,100 on average, and I can prove it,” Mortello said. “I’m the one with the xeroscape landscape. I’m the one with who has consciously decided to not water as much, yet I’m being forced to pay for somebody else’s overage.”

The city sets sewer rates based on how much water each household uses during a typical winter month, when water is generally used indoors and not for landscaping.

John Ott, president of Animas Water Co., said its employees go to every meter and read them manually. If there’s a lot of snow, they will sometimes estimate the months of January and February.

He said he thinks the lower rate is fair.

“It’s not uncommon for people to use 3,000 gallons a month,” he said.

The company supplies the usage information to the city, so it can bill customers. Durango has newer technology that doesn’t require manual readings, said Durango Utilities Director Steve Salka. However, Animas took off the city’s transmission devices in late 2013, and city workers couldn’t get the usage information.

“They just didn’t want our equipment on there anymore,” Salka said. “They didn’t want it to interfere with any of the readings they were doing.”

Removing the transmission devices made it hard for the city read the meters. The city relied on a study by the Colorado Municipal League to come up with the flat rate of 5,000 gallons of water per month.

“No one would talk to us,” Salka said. “No one would share that information with us.”

Ott said that was just a little miscommunication. They have always cooperated with the city, and they also have been giving usage information to residents.

“I’ve always communicated well with the city,” Ott said.

Resident Bill Palmer, who lives on Spring Creek Drive, just got his sewer water in the mail. He said he used 2,000 gallons of water, the same as the previous month.

“My point is, I don’t understand why a county resident that has city sewer service should pay any more than a city resident that has city sewer services,” Palmer said. “The exact same service.”

He said the residents along County Road 203 should pay the same as any other residents. However, Salka said that the city has charged county residents more for at least 40 years. City residents also are charged a flat fee of 2,000 gallons a month for sewer, not what is actually used.

smueller@durangoherald.com