The Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority on Tuesday set a new wastewater rate for Lower Keys residents served by the Big Coppitt Wastewater District, which recently went on line.

Customers will pay about $65 a month, $9 cheaper than what initially was proposed and rejected by the utility board two months ago. The rate will go into effect immediately, utility spokeswoman Colleen Tagle said.

Customers will pay a monthly base rate of $25.90, then $9.80 per 1,000 gallons used a month. The average resident uses about 4,000 gallons a month, bringing the monthly rate to $65.10, Tagle said.

The Florida Keys are under a state mandate to upgrade all sewer systems to advanced treatment standards. To help meet that mandate, the utility built a treatment plant on Rockland Key to serve Big Coppitt, Rockland, Geiger and Shark keys. A majority of the customers are on Big Coppitt, Tagle said.

The plant was completed two months ago and residents began connecting about 30 days ago. Work is still being completed on Geiger Key, but all residents in the district are scheduled to be connected by January, Tagle said.

In June, the utility board shot down a blended rate that would have combined rates from Layton, Conch Key and the Bay Point neighborhood on the Saddlebunch Keys. The board chose not to charge one common rate, which would have been $77.58, after Lower Keys residents served by the Big Coppitt system complained about it.

"The Big Coppitt residents were not in favor of a blended rate, because it would result in higher rates for their district," Tagle said.

The proposed rate would have set $35.75 as the base charge and a $9.69 fee per 1,000 gallons of water used, Tagle said. That would have dropped the price of monthly service for the average customer in Layton from $82.71 to $74.51 and for Conch Key and Bay Point from $79.13 to $74.51 for a 4,000 gallon user, according to utility records.

The board on Tuesday discussed moving to blended rates in the future, which the utility does with water service, but said now is not the time to do it, Tagle said.

tohara@keysnews.com