The water rate for Sweden Consolidated Water District customers will rise by twenty cents to $2.85 per thousand gallons beginning September 1. The million cubic feet rate will be $21.31

Last spring, Councilman Rob Carges warned that Sweden may be forced to raise the rate because of increases by the town’s supplier, the Monroe County Water Authority. The last increase to Sweden customers occurred in January of this year.

In other business from the August 28 town board meeting: a public hearing regarding the extension of a water line on Lake Road south was held. Three residents of the road have purchased the materials and paid for the engineering for the 1,040 ft. long project. The Town of Sweden will install the line. Because of a technicality with the wording of the legal notice, the public hearing will have to be held again.

Residents from further south of the proposed project attended the hearing and renewed their quest to extend the line to the Bergen town line. They told of depleted water sources and water that was not fit to use for drinking.

Supervisor Buddy Lester told the residents that an engineering study conducted about three years ago estimated that it would cost $25 million to bring public water to the whole town. Sweden can’t afford to do that, he said, but it does try to extend water lines where economically feasible. He also noted that the Sweden master plan limits the extension of water in rural areas to control development.

A public hearing was scheduled for September 25 at 7 p.m. regarding an application by Sprint PCS to construct a 150 foot tall telecommunications tower at 6615 Redman Road. Sweden recently approved the construction of a 100 foot tall tower at 441 Sweden Ogden Townline Road for Cingular Wireless.