Guest opinion: Being smart with our water

After a wet spring, it’s actually starting to look like summer and the best weather our arid climate provides. That also means increasing our outdoor water use to keep lawns, gardens and trees flourishing. We are fortunate to have one of the world’s most productive and permeable aquifers to draw from. But we can’t ignore how much water we use or how efficiently we use it.

The Spokane-Coeur d’Alene region has one of the highest per capita water consumption rates in the West. Recent forecasts show demand for groundwater from our aquifer will increase by more than 30 billion gallons per year by 2040. In a world where access to clean water is ever more vital, it’s in our interest to water smarter to gain the efficiencies that can accommodate growth and avoid expensive water conflicts that have plagued other communities.

In 2003, Washington’s Legislature passed House Bill 1338, which required municipal water suppliers to set goals to advance water efficiency so we can improve our ability to plan for growth and provide greater certainty for our water rights. The city of Spokane has shown leadership in this region and set appropriate and realistic conservation goals. An example: Spokane aims to reduce groundwater well pumpage July through October (the highest use months) by 12 percent in 2012 and 20 percent in 2017 based on per capita use. Last year, the city was 1.2 percent below its annual goal, but we have reduced our total use by 9.72 percent overall since 2006. Efficiencies have been achieved through a variety of proactive measures, such as education, rebates and low-flow product giveaways; however, external factors, including two consecutive wet summers and a prolonged economic downturn, have contributed to this trend.

We’ve come a long way, but we still need to accomplish higher efficiency, which is why the City Council did not increase water rates in 2011, but did implement a new, graduated-cost structure for single-family residential customers in order to encourage smart watering and provide lifeline pricing for those who can least afford to pay for this necessity.

Under the new, graduated rate structure, the majority of residential users will pay less for water in 2011. That’s right: less. The price of water has actually decreased for lower levels of use and, as you consume more water, you are charged a higher rate (80 cents for the first 3,000 gallons, $1.80 for the next 4,500 gallons, and so on). This is a cost-effective and equitable approach to achieving water efficiency goals, and it helps create financial sustainability for our water utility into the future.

Using a market-based pricing system like a graduated rate structure allows us to adjust water use as each sees fit. This method has been shown to be less costly to the ratepayer in achieving conservation goals than non-price demand measures like education or even mandatory watering restrictions.

More important, this new cost structure provides a lifeline to those customers who use less water and may have less ability to pay. Previous rate structures did not allow ratepayers enough flexibility or incentive to save money by watering more efficiently. With more folks living on fixed incomes, this rate structure will allow households to find savings even if rates increase.

Few elected officials relish the thought of increasing rates. In the past eight years, the City Council did so only three times. But the ability to subsidize low rates with revenue from new customer hookups is not possible in today’s economy and not a sustainable business model. Combine the occasional rate increase with a few wet summers and the worst economic downturn in decades and we are left with rapidly declining reserves in our water department. The graduated pricing structure promises a more sustainable revenue approach, even if use declines due to efficiency, weather or economic conditions. And again, as costs increase in the future to maintain and operate our system, this structure permits customers with limited means to keep the water turned on.

New structure or not, Spokane’s water rates are still some of the lowest in Washington and even lower than our “dry” sister, Boise. We are fortunate to have access to an excellent groundwater resource in our aquifer, but wasting water shouldn’t be part of our vocabulary. We can all be smarter about using water and still enjoy green yards this summer. Adopting a graduated rate structure is the right thing for Spokane because it is more equitable and cost-effective in reaching our water efficiency goals, and it helps create predictability to keep our water utility financially stable. You can learn more at www.spokanewater.org.