Rising Sun adopts new utility-rate rule for closed water consumption systems

Rising Sun commissioners on Sept. 14 adopted Resolution 20 21 0 9 to add a sub-note defining closed water consumption systems (CWCS) and to apply the town’s approved water rate for those businesses while exempting them from sewer usage charges.

Town Administrator (unnamed) told the board the move is meant to address businesses that consume water in production or cooling processes without discharging wastewater into the town system. “This resolution would basically create a new subsection D that would talk about what essentially is a closed water consumption system,” the administrator said while reading the measure into the record. The resolution cites section 8-302 of the town code and notes the town’s roughly $26,000,000 recent investment in water and sewer infrastructure.

Under the adopted language, a CWCS is defined as a business using town water for production, cooling or similar processes in which there is no discharge into the town sewer system and the water is 100% consumed in the process. A CWCS must have a separately metered water supply and required permits and approvals through the town’s building and zoning process.

The resolution states qualifying commercial businesses will pay the current approved water rate for water consumed but will not be responsible for the current approved sewer rate because there is no discharge into the town’s sewer conveyance and treatment system. The board moved and seconded the resolution and approved it by voice vote; individual recorded votes were not specified in the meeting record.

The change is a rate-structure refinement, not a reduction of water charges, and town staff will administer permit and meter requirements for qualifying systems going forward.