Aiken Will See Rise in Sewer Impact Fees for New Hookups

Aiken City Council gave its first nod on Feb. 23 to rules that spell out how the city will gather and use impact fees on new connections to the sewer system. These fees answer a sharp price jump from 48 cents per gallon to $10.89 per gallon that the Aiken County Council put in place September 2024.

Current homeowners won't pay more. Neither will existing property owners nor businesses already running. These charges hit only new construction that needs planning approval.

City Manager Stuart Bedenbaugh explained the rules to council members, detailing how staff will figure out sewer impact fees when new construction starts, old buildings get rebuilt, or wastewater use changes. Applicants pay the fees, which then go to the Aiken County Public Service Authority. The PSA treats wastewater at Horse Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant, sitting between North Augusta and Beech Island.

“This is not an impact on current users of the system. If you're an existing homeowner or property owner or business, this fee does not apply to you,” Bedenbaugh said, per the Aiken Standard. “This fee is for new development that needs to be planned and go through the approval process.”

The county now makes buyers purchase capacity in chunks of 5,000 gallons. Aiken pays PSA for treatment capacity, which is the amount set aside so current customers and new ones can get service without going past the contract limit.

Developers building outside city limits will keep paying for capacity upfront, early in the approval chain, before getting a capacity letter. Builders working inside city limits wait until the building permit stage. That comes after plans get approved, engineers do their analysis, and staff confirm sewer capacity exists.