Federal regulators have tired of the City of Cincinnati and Hamilton County bickering over the Metropolitan Sewer District.

So that could mean a major hike in your sewer bill.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Ohio EPA and the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission (ORSANCO) last week approved a plan for $2 billion worth of storm and sewer projects – more than double what the city wanted and triple what the county wanted.

To pay for that might require a 70 percent increase in sewer rates over the next decade, county administrator Jeff Aluotto wrote in a memo to county commissioners. Aluotto said the regulators have attempted to "cram down" the $2 billion in sewer projects on ratepayers.

The average household in Hamilton County pays $610 a year on sewer bills. A 70 percent increase would bring the average sewer bill to $1,037.

"The regulators are also clearly ignoring the devastating impact their demand would have on our community and its MSD ratepayers," Aluotto wrote.

A long history of disagreements

Hamilton County and Cincinnati have been mired in a long-running federal court case over how to reduce pollution and sewer overflows and manage the sewer district.

The project lists the EPA approved includes new sewer lines, grates, pump stations and a variety of other improvements across Hamilton County.

Since 2004 the city and the county have been under a federal mandate, known as a consent decree, to reduce sewer overflows into local streams and rivers.

The city and the county, however, cannot agree for the next phase on what and how many projects to do.

The county submitted a five-year plan worth $616 million. The city wanted a 10-year plan worth $1.01 billion.

Both the city and county are trying to settle their differences in federal court before Judge Michael Barrett. The case also involves who manages and owns MSD. Currently, Hamilton County owns the sewer district. Cincinnati manages it.

The county wants a federal court judge to tell regulators to approve its plan, regardless of whether the city approves or not, Aluotto told The Enquirer.

"We think that the county's plan was a timely submitted plan and have asked the court to uphold the county plan," Aluotto said.

'This is an unaffordable plan'

The federal regulatory agencies, however, want the city and county to reach a consensus.

The strongly worded letter from the regulators sent last week to the city and county showed the federal government doesn't want to wait any longer.

The city and the county's failure to submit an agreed-upon plan "jeopardizes the expeditious implementation of critical improvements to remedy (the city and county's) serious sewage in basement and overflow problems," the letter signed on July 11 by regulators with the EPA and ORSANCO stated.

The EPA will give the city and county a chance to submit a plan but made no promises that it'll be approved, according to the EPA's letter.

The Hamilton County Board of Commissioners on Thursday voted to instruct the county's attorneys to bring the matter to the federal court judge's attention as well as lobby for help from elected officials in Cincinnati, Columbus and in Congress.

The City of Cincinnati didn't take a position on the EPA's action yet but did see some positives. City Manager Patrick Duhaney's office released a statement saying they are reviewing the regulators' plan and "are pleased that they do take action to fix the critical needs of treatment facilities and pump stations."

The Enquirer has sought comment from the city, EPA, and ORSANCO.

Aluotto described the EPA's action as "an attempted end-run around the court."

The projects on the EPA's lists are outdated and not what the communities want based on input provided to the county from public hearings, Aluotto said.

"We hope every community in this county would recognize what the regulators submitted is not right for this community," Aluotto said. "This is an unaffordable plan crammed down us, and I would expect everyone to be in line with that."