Conserving water reduces rates?

Tuesday, 1:23 pm

By Kate

Jul

17

2007

In view of my town's decision to raise our water rates because we are conserving so much and not generating enough revenue to fund the water department's budget, I was most interested in reading about a coalition of 29 Great Lakes communities (Canada and US) that is striving for a 15% water use reduction goal by the year 2015. Our town says that we've already cut back water use by 20% since 2000, but our water rates are going up, not down.

Twenty municipalities in Canada and nine in the United States have adopted a goal of reducing water consumption 15 percent by 2015, according to a coalition of Great Lakes cities.

Among the largest participants are Grand Rapids; Buffalo, N.Y.; Chicago; Hamilton, Ontario; Montreal; Rochester, N.Y.; Toledo, Ohio; and Toronto.

Eleven of the 29 municipalities already have formal water-conservation plans in place, officials at the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative said Thursday.

[...]

Toronto's plan, in place since 2001, will cost an estimated $74.3 million through 2011 but save the city more than $220 million in equivalent capital-infrastructure costs.

It's also expected to save $29 million in operating costs during the period and $4.5 million per year thereafter. The Toronto plan also will reduce carbon dioxide emissions and lower residential water bills, the coalition said.

So call me confused. If water use reduction is a win-win for everyone, why does my town feel like it just got the old knife in the back for doing a good thing that other communities are trying to do with cost savings included? Maybe our guys need to talk with their guys to figure out what we're doing wrong.