PITTSFIELD -- Pittsfield has among the lowest rates in the state for municipal water and sewer service. That may not be the case for much longer.

The town government is moving forward with several projects to repair and upgrade its water and sewer system, including the long-standing removal of sewage, replacement of antiquated pipes and other projects that have been on the back burner.

"It's massive," Town Manager Kathryn Ruth said of the task. "We're talking decades of work here. The town chose to pay for it later."

In order to pay for these needed projects, customer rates will have to increase, Ruth said.

A new report commissioned by the town government suggests the town will need to shell out perhaps millions of dollars to update its system. The report was written by Acheron Engineering, Environmental and Geologic Scientists of Newport.

The Town Council will get its first look at the study at its meeting tonight, along with a presentation by Acheron officials.

The study, which suggests short- and long-term solutions, is so complex that town officials will need help understanding it, Ruth said. One thing is certain: The town's system needs an upgrade.

"It's become an inefficient system. It's not treating the sludge as best it can," Ruth said.

The town uses a lagoon system for its sewage disposal. Its wastewater treatment plant was built in 1978 and contains a 70-acre lagoon.

The town's sludge -- the solid byproduct of wastewater treatment -- should have been removed about every decade or so, but the treatment facility has continued to run for the last 30 years without any such removal.

That means its removal will end up being more expensive, Ruth said, and the cost will only go up the longer the town waits. "If it's removed over time, the cost is less," Ruth said. "Now, everything is more expensive doing it all at once. There will be more financial consequences if we wait longer."

The first step for the town has been replacing old, malfunctioning water-sewage meters across town -- some 1,200 in all -- so that the town could get accurate readings. That project is nearly complete and is expected to cost the town $150,000.

"We need correct meters," she said. "If people's bills are going to go up we need to correctly assess them."

Rates will increase in January to finance that work, Ruth said, and more increases would come later, depending on when projects are scheduled.

The most expensive option for removing the town's sludge would cost $9.9 million and could be financed over 15 years at an annual cost of $663,264, according to the report. Acheron, however, doesn't recommend the town consider this option.

Other, less costly options have total price tags in the $3 million range, but the Acheron report indicates such costs are "unreasonable and unrealistic."

Ruth said she will work with the Maine Rural Water Association so "hopefully there's a way to do this over a period of time."

There's an upside to having higher utility rates, Ruth said, because the town will then be eligible for grant funding to help pay for its system projects.

Scott Monroe -- 487-3288, 861-9253

smonroe@centralmaine.com