By Ashley McLeod, Senior staff writer
Jun 20, 2016, 12:28
After owing more than $1 million in back payments to the South Central Wastewater Authority, causing a shortage in operational costs, two payments have been made by the city of Petersburg.
After talking to several localities involved, the News-Patriot reported last week that the city was in debt to the wastewater plant, which services Prince George, Dinwiddie, Colonial Heights, and parts of Chesterfield.
Because of an agreement made between the localities when the SCWWA was created in 1996, the costs would have been passed on in order to keep sewer services open.
“Because it is a partnership, some of their costs could be eventually passed on to the city of Colonial Heights and some of the other surrounding communities,” said Colonial Heights Mayor Greg Kochuba.
The debt from Petersburg equaled out to $1.5 million in back payments, which spanned a time period of approximately five to six months of unpaid bills from the city. The deadline for payment was Tuesday, June 14.
Other localities became proactive when learning of the debt, planning ahead in case the cost was to fall on them. Mayor Kochuba and other council members, along with the city attorney, met with Del. Kirk Cox and Sen. Amanda Chase to discuss the issue.
As of Wednesday night, Petersburg has made two payments to the SCWWA, one on Friday and another on Monday, in a total amount of approximately $700,000.
“Things are moving, but it’s not over yet. We are doing everything we can behind the scenes to try to find a solution for this problem,” said Mayor Kochuba.
