Roseburg Urban Sanitary Authority Customers Will See Sewer Rate Increase July 1

Roseburg Urban Sanitary Authority customers will see a higher sewer bill later this summer as the agency moves ahead with a rate increase tied to aging infrastructure, rising costs, and future system needs.

The new rates take effect July 1, 2026. For residential customers, the monthly sanitary sewer rate will increase to $60 per month per Equivalent Dwelling Unit, or EDU. RUSA says the new rate will first appear on bills dated August 1.

For non-residential customers, the increase may be more than $8 per month depending on the type of business and how sewer usage is calculated.

RUSA said the increase is part of a larger effort to keep up with the cost of maintaining and replacing parts of the local sewer system. The authority says its current sustainable rate projection is $80 per month, and customers should expect that annual rate adjustments are likely going forward.

According to RUSA, the increase is being driven by three main factors:

• Aging sewer infrastructure that needs ongoing maintenance, repairs, and upgrades.
• State and federal regulatory requirements tied to water quality and public health.
• Inflation and higher operating costs.

The agency’s capital improvement planning documents point to the scale of the system RUSA is responsible for. The local gravity sewer system includes roughly 160 miles of sewer main lines, about 4,150 manholes, and around 11,000 customer connections. Some pipes in the system date back to 1911.

RUSA’s five-year capital plan identifies several major sewer projects, including work on Hooker Road, the Deer Creek North Trunk Line, the Court-Fowler Syphon Lift Station, portions of the Deer Creek South Trunk Line, and Harvard Street East. The plan also includes ongoing inflow and infiltration rehabilitation work, which is aimed at reducing unwanted stormwater and groundwater from entering the sewer system.

The capital plan estimates the total replacement cost of the gravity sewer system at more than $358 million. RUSA’s planning documents also estimate a long-term annual replacement need of about $3.58 million if the system is replaced on a 100-year cycle.

RUSA said the rate increase is needed to keep service reliable and to continue investing in the system before problems become larger and more expensive.

Customers with questions can contact Roseburg Urban Sanitary Authority directly.