From the Colorado Springs Independent (Pam Zubeck):
In some cases, Springs residents’ water bills are more than four times what they were a year ago. With June temperatures running 108 percent of normal and rainfall at just 15 percent of normal, Colorado Springs Utilities’ customers guzzled 3.4 billion gallons of water from June 1 through 27. That’s way more than the 2.5 billion for the same period last year and rivals the 3.45 billion used in June 2001, the year before drought forced conservation measures.
Springs customers are among the lowest per-capita water users on the Front Range, thanks to watering restrictions imposed during the drought and water-saving techniques since embraced by the community, such as Xeriscaping and low-flow appliances. But those who reacted to June’s heat, wind and skimpy rainfall by pouring water on their gardens and lawns got a big surprise in their mailboxes recently. Not only did higher usage push bills up, but they’re paying more for water than two years ago. In February 2009, rates went up 41 percent, but the change went largely unnoticed last year when rain drenched the area and helped sustain lawns. Then, on Jan. 1, another 6 percent hike kicked in, including a per-day customer charge…
A household that used 1,600 cubic feet in 2009 paid $55.18. If usage goes to 3,200 cubic feet this year, the tab is $138.48…
Also keep in mind that water rates are tiered, meaning the more you use, the higher per cubic foot you’re charged. For up to 999 cubic feet, you pay 2.24 cents per cubic foot; from 1,000 to 2,499 cubic feet, you pay 4.18 cents; and for more than 2,500 cubic feet, the rate is 6.17 cents…
If you think what’s happened to rates is bad already, brace yourself. Two consecutive 12 percent annual rate hikes begin next year, and four more are expected to follow, doubling water bills by 2016. While a chunk of the rate hikes will fund the $2.3 billion Southern Delivery System pipeline project from Pueblo Reservoir, they also will pay for system maintenance, which includes a 20-year water main rehabilitation program involving a quarter of the city’s 1,900-mile water pipe network, [Utilities spokeswoman Patrice Quintero] says.
More Arkansas Basin coverage here.