Black Mountain Sewer sets schedule for ending odor
by Kathleen Stinson

CAREFREE – The state Corporation Commission gave Black Mountain Sewer Co. six months to fix its odor problems in The Boulders and Carefree Inn Estates communities.

In addition, the commission’s Dec. 5 order stated the company’s new rates would go into effect as of Dec. 1, provided  the company has mailed refund checks to all Black Mountain Sewer customers. The ordered refunds are for hookup fees collected but not expended by the company. 

The refund will total $833,367 or about $427 per customer, said Carefree Mayor Ed Morgan.

Black Mountain Sewer spokeswoman Kelly Castledine said the company is in the process of preparing the refund checks and will mail them this week.

Castledine explained that hookup fee amounts are set by the commission  in order to provide a utility with capital to fund growth‑related projects and satisfy increased demand in the utility’s service area. Black Mountain Sewer’s predecessor was granted authorization to charge hookup fees when it was a smaller company with limited access to capital.

In the case of Black Mountain, she said there was an unexpended amount of hookup fees that had been collected and it was determined those fees were no longer required, as Black Mountain, through its parent company Algonquin Water Resources of America, has sufficient access to capital at this time.

Residents started to complain about an odor problem about three years ago. When the company applied for a rate increase, the town filed a letter to intervene on behalf of its residents, recommending elimination of the Carefree Inn Estates Lift Station which was causing the odors.

“Black Mountain Sewer is cooperating and has gotten an engineering firm hired to eliminate the lift station,” Morgan said last week.

“We are pretty satisfied with the (commission’s) order and think it is fair and reasonable,” stated Castledine. “Now we are focused on completing the lift station removal.” She related that the company plans to complete removal of the lift station by the end of January.

Calls by The Desert Advocate seeking comment from The Boulders Homeowners Association were not returned.

On Thursday, The Boulders association board and members from The Owners Association Boulders South met with the sewer company to get feedback on Black Mountain’s progress in complying with the commission’s order.

The HOA will continue to meet with the company every couple of months “as needed” to give feedback on the status of odor complaints, the mayor said. Those meetings are not open to the public, he added.

Reach the reporter at kathleen@thedesertadvocate.com.