Bradford ups water rate by $9

By John A. Ballentine

BRADFORD – The Village of Bradford has recently raised the water rate by $9 to $80 per month. According to Village President Henry Waldinger, “Other towns are much higher than Bradford’s rate and we are falling behind.”

Also, Waldinger pointed out that since the COVID-19 pandemic began, people have been flushing so-called “flushable wipes” down into the sewer lines, plus maintenance personnel have found sheets and jeans in the sewer system.

“The wipes, sheets and jeans get into the sewer pumps and plug them up, which causes the pumps to burn up. It cost the village $2,000 a pump to replace the damaged pumps with new ones.

“Plus, it cost $17,000 to repair the generator that was also damaged as a result of these items being placed into the sewer system. We had no choice but to raise the rate to offset the costs.”