CAPE CORAL, Fla. - Cape Coral claims new equipment at its waste water treatment facility will keep your utility bills down.

The city needs to replace machines there and it won't cost taxpayers anything.

The city's wastewater treatment plant, located near Ida Baker High School, has two bar screens. Their purpose is to sift and remove products that have been flushed away. But over time, the city discovered a problem.

These screens weren't working 100 percent, and items that squeezed through started clogging up the pumps.

"The more solids that get into the pumps, it can overheat the pumps and we end up having to replace those pumps," explained Utilities Director Jeff Pearson.

Pearson says it will cost about $280,000 to replace the bar screens with better versions.

But, the current screens are under warranty. That means your money won't go towards by buying new ones. An engineering firm that installed these screens will foot the bill.

Pearson says the new equipment is expected to catch more items.

That means less repairs, and more money for the city which translates into keeping your rates from rising. "When we have a lower repair and replacement cost, that helps us keep the utility rates down," Pearson said.

It will take a while to get the new screens made.  The city could get them installed by late summer, or early fall of 2013.