Are Virginia's wastewater treatment plants financially healthy?

The future success of wastewater pollution control in Virginia will depend in part on the ability of local communities to maintain financially self-sufficient wastewater treatment operations. Localities will be financing wastewater construction without the assistance of either federal or state grants. Higher levels of treatment and larger volumes of wastewater will raise treatment costs significantly. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that the cost of sewage treatment for the average urban household will increase by 50 percent during the 1990s, and that smaller cities, with fewer households to pay fees, will see annual charges nearly double.