Last edited 4:32 p.m., Aug. 23, 2012At a news conference held yesterday at its headquarters, City Utilities unveiled its emergency action plan for water conservation, which could be costly for local businesses.
If water levels drop below 60 percent at Fellows and McDaniel lakes north of Springfield, Stage One of the city's plan would go into effect, hiking water rates automatically in an effort to prompt commercial and residential customers to cut back on water use.
CU General Manager Scott Miller said water levels were at 64.1 percent of capacity – far below the historic average of 83.5 percent – and dropping at a rate of 1 percent to 1.5 percent per week. Businesses and residents would have to pay nearly 18 percent more for water during Stage One. The goal of the price hike is to reduce overall water use by 15 percent, according to Miller.
Miller said potential impacts are greater for companies served by CU if water levels drop below 55 percent – triggering Stage Two – or below 50 percent, at Stage Three, which is considered crisis level.
In Stage Two and Stage Three, businesses are required to drop their projected uses by at least 25 percent or a surcharge would kick in that could roughly double monthly water bills for those customers who don’t conserve. For example, a customer with an average residential bill of $22.94 would be charged $45.95 if no conservation is achieved, but with 25 percent conservation, the customer would pay $19.83. Rate increases would be based on volume of use for both business and residential customers, and Miller said new companies or those without a comparable amount from the previous year would be judged based on an average of their bills to date. Those with special circumstances – such as growing households or businesses – can work with CU to establish a fair baseline for charges, he said.
All of the measures, Miller and other CU officials said, are designed to get residents and businesses to eliminate unnecessary water use, such as running sprinklers on lawns.
“I can guarantee we will come out of this drought. What I can't guarantee is when we'll come out of this drought. We are just trying to buy time right now,” Miller said.
The plan, which was developed in the early 1980s, has never been implemented because water levels have always stayed above 60 percent, according to Roddy Rogers, CU water treatment and supply manager. In 2007, the last year the plan was updated, Rogers said water levels reached a record low 62 percent before rebounding. He said CU begins to have treatment challenges at levels under 50 percent; at 30 percent, CU begins to have physical challenges and treated water can develop a foul taste and odor; and at below 20 percent, the water is likely unusable.
According to the plan, during Stage One, irrigation of lawns and landscapes is limited to midnight-6 a.m. on Sundays for customers with street addresses ending in even numbers and during the same hours on Saturdays for customers with addresses ending in odd numbers. Other limitations include no noncommercial washing of motor vehicles, trailers or boats except from a bucket on designated days between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m. or 8 p.m. and 10 p.m.; spraying of water on sidewalks, streets and other paved areas is prohibited; and no eating establishment can serve water except by specific request.
During Stage Two, the use of permanently installed automatic sprinkler systems and hose-end sprinklers is prohibited at all times; filling of pools and hot tubs is not permitted; and those businesses that use more than 75 percent of their expected water use would encounter a surcharge. Customers that use less than four cubic feet of water per month – one cubic foot equals 748 gallons – are not subject to a surcharge. Per unit or per cubic feet charges increase by about 400 percent or more for volumes exceeding the 75 percent threshold.
If water levels dip below 50 percent of capacity, Stage Three plans would go into effect. All washing of motor vehicles is prohibited in Stage Three, as is the watering of any lawn, garden or landscaped area. Applications for new or expanded water service would be denied during this stage. Surcharges for the second and third stages are the same.
Miller said CU can choose to shut off service to any customer that is not complying with restrictions outlined in the
plan.
