Water rates soak families
Citizens in the city of Spokane are smart when it comes to the use of water. They care about the health of the aquifer and Spokane River. They rarely set out to waste the resource. In fact, water consumption in the city has fallen, despite an increase in the population.
So how were the citizens of Spokane rewarded? They now have no choice but to tangle with a new five-tier pricing structure that punishes large families – even if they are doing their best to limit consumption. At the highest rate, the new prices charge 23 times more for the last gallon of water used than the first.
City officials insist the new pricing structure is not about making money, but Councilwoman Amber Waldref wrote an editorial in June saying the new pricing structure “promises a more sustainable revenue approach.”
Long before the new water prices were imposed, citizens in Spokane were taking steps to reduce their consumption. Water usage in 2010 was the lowest in a decade, 22 billion gallons for the year, according to the city. Since 2001, Spokane residents have cut their use by 3.5 billion gallons annually.
But even while using less water, Spokane citizens are still paying more. Records from the city indicate total dollars from water revenue increased 27 percent since 2001. In 2010, government officials collected $29.4 million in water revenue.
The city of Spokane’s water department budget may shed light on one of the reasons policymakers felt they needed extra revenue. In 2005, the city allocated $10.1 million to pay for the salaries and benefits of the 166 people in the water department. Only four positions were added by 2010, but the money allocated for salaries and benefits increased to $13.7 million – a 34 percent jump.
The city itself is one of the biggest users of water in the region. Four city-owned golf courses in Spokane used more than 139 million gallons of water in 2010. While citizens have to pay up to $1.85 per unit for water, the city labels its courses commercial and gives them a 60 percent discount on the highest rate. If each used a million gallons of water, a golf course in Spokane would pay $1,017, while a homeowner would pay $2,399.
The citizens of Spokane would be better served by adopting a water pricing structure modeled after cities of similar size. Tacoma and Boise offer flat rates for water from October through May, and an elevated flat rate for the summer. While the Boise and Tacoma prices are higher than Spokane’s initial rate, the flat-rate system does not punish larger families that already seek to lower their use. In fact, in Boise and Tacoma, water consumption has fallen under the pricing structure.
City officials in Spokane say charging higher water rates will remind customers the Rathdrum Prairie-Spokane Valley Aquifer is a resource not to be taken for granted. There is currently, however, little evidence of diminishing water levels in the aquifer. The city estimates the total volume of the aquifer to be 10 trillion gallons. And many well-water readings indicate even higher levels of water now than in 1990.
Scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey say 40 percent of the water used for irrigation purposes actually drains right back into the aquifer. At peak times, 129 million gallons of water re-enters the aquifer each day from irrigation use.
Groundwater use can certainly contribute to a drop in water levels of the Spokane River, but it should be noted that the level of the Spokane River at Spokane is actually higher now than it was in 1950.
Even with the new pricing structure, Spokane has some of the lowest initial water rates in the Northwest. Still, providing water to the citizens of Spokane should not be viewed as a way to punish citizens or keep the city “financially stable.” Raising water rates is unlikely to significantly decrease water consumption in Spokane. It will, however, pump more money into City Hall as government officials increase the financial burden on citizens.