Effective April 1, legislation passed by the Rhode Island General Assembly requires municipal treatment plants to charge an extra $1 per 100 gallons for disposal of septage. Pumpers must pay the fee, then collect it from their customers. The Department of Environmental Management expects the increase to put about $500,000 a year in its Bays, Rivers and Watersheds Fund. The agency uses the money to do better testing and monitoring of Narragansett Bay.Government officials predict the fee could hike the cost of a pump-out by $10 or $12. Based on experience, septage haulers are concerned that the financial impact will
