WARREN — City leaders discussed plans Wednesday to raise sewer rates to fix aging wastewater systems and meet federal guidelines.

The Water and Water Pollution Control Committee met with experts from the engineering firm AECOM. They explained why rates need to go up and how much more residents might pay.

Tanner Adair, a civil engineer with AECOM, said the city’s sewer system is very old.

Parts date back to 1865, just after the Civil War. The wastewater treatment plant was last majorly updated in 1987.

“We’re at a point where we can’t keep putting money into this old system,” Adair said to the committee. “We need big repairs now.”

Adair explained that the firm has worked with the city for years. They did a study showing that without rate hikes, the city could lose millions of dollars e

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