Wastewater service rates drop in Anchorage

ANCHORAGE -- Anchorage property owners are getting a rare break in a utility rate.

The city agency responsible for sewer and water service will be dropping its wastewater rates.

The decrease is not much -- 60 cents a month for a single-family home. But it's the first time in the agency's 30-year history that rates have actually declined, said Brian Crewdson, a manager for the Anchorage Water and Wastewater Utility.

The decrease in sewer rates was made possible, he said, by more than a decade of automation and efficiency. Return on the wastewater side was higher than regulation allowed, he said.

The utility expanded during that time to serve a larger customer base.

''As we gained new customers, our profitability has gone up,'' he said.