Water and sewer rates will rise for city services in 2013.

City Council approved a 6 percent rate increase to the city’s water service and a 3 percent increase in the city’s sanitary sewer rate on Tuesday, Dec. 4. Both rates will take effect Jan. 1, 2013.

A 6 percent water rate increase equates to an increase of approximately $2 per month for the average residential water customer, said Deputy City Manager Scott Brunka. The 3 percent sewer rate increase equates to an increase of approximately $1 per month, Brunka said.

Lebanon’s water rates will still remain 1.8 percent below the average for the surrounding area based on a 2012 survey of water costs conducted by the city Oakwood.

The rates increases are necessary to support capital improvement projects and continued operations of the services, said Brunka. In particular, the water rate increase was necessitated by the city’s transition to the Greater Cincinnati Water Works pipeline, a four year project that was completed in October. The transition required the replacement of a number of water mains within the city. Future water main replacement projects are also planned on Summit and East streets and Highland Avenue, Brunka said.

Over the past ten years, the city’s water main replacement program has eliminated lead water services, increased main sizes to support required fire flows, replaced leaking water mains to reduce water loss and substantially reduced water main breaks, Brunka said.

Even with the proposed rate increase, the sewer fund will still consume more than $300,000 from its cash reserves to fund planned system improvements and sustain current operations, Brunka said.The 3 percent rate increase will generate an additional $100,000 in revenue. The 6 percent increase in the water rate will generate an additional $175,000 per year.

Council voted 4-2 to approve the water rate raise and 5-1 to approve the sewer rate raise.