Wastewater Collection System New Sewer Connection Surcharge

Background

In 2021, the City of St. Helens completed an updated Wastewater Collection System Master Plan (WWMP)—the first comprehensive study of the system since 1989, when the city’s population was approximately 7,500. Since then, the population has more than doubled, reaching nearly 15,500 residents. This growth has placed increased demand on the public sewer system, which has not been significantly upgraded first being constructed.

As a result, much of the City’s existing sewer infrastructure, particularly the major sewer trunk lines, is now operating at or above capacity. This poses a greater risk of sanitary sewer overflows and impacts the system’s ability to support continued growth without investment in expanded capacity.

Purpose of the Surcharge

To address these capacity limitations and ensure that new development contributes fairly to the cost of necessary infrastructure improvements, the City has implemented the Wastewater Collection System New Sewer Connection Surcharge.

This surcharge applies to:

• New developments
• Redevelopments

that require connection to sewer trunk lines identified in the WWMP as operating “at or above” capacity.

The funds collected through this surcharge will be used exclusively for public sewer capacity improvements, particularly those outlined in the City’s Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) for wastewater infrastructure.

How the Surcharge is Calculated

The surcharge is based on:

• The number of Equivalent Dwelling Units (EDUs) associated with a development (as identified in the City's 2019 Housing Needs Analysis), and
• The proportional cost of necessary downstream improvements to accommodate the additional flows generated by the new or redeveloped property.

This approach ensures that new users contribute a fair share of the cost for system improvements needed to serve their developments, without placing an undue burden on existing ratepayers.

Estimate Your Surcharge

Developers may estimate their potential surcharge using the following tool:

Sanitary Sewer Capacity COA (non-SDC) Worksheet – Download Here

This worksheet helps applicants calculate the likely surcharge based on their proposed number of EDUs and the location of their connection within the system.

Need More Information?

For questions regarding the Sewer Surcharge Fee, please contact:

Public Works Department – Engineering Division
Email: Engineering@sthelensoregon.gov
Office: City Hall, 265 Strand Street, St. Helens, OR 97051