Lowest water users start saving $5 a month in Spokane

Spokane residents who didn’t use a lot of water last winter are seeing the benefits of their conservation this winter.

Almost 13,000 households in Spokane got a $5 credit on their most recent monthly utility bills, and will continue to get it for a year, based on their water usage last winter. Those 12,910 households represent the bottom 20 percent of water users, and will recieve $60 in credits total. Those households used less than 8,200 gallons of water over four months, or about 70 gallons a day.

According to Marlene Feist, the utilities department spokeswoman, some houses used as little as 750 gallons over the four months. Houses that used no water, whether because they are vacant or their tenants live elsewhere in the winter, were not eligible to recieve the credit. Like this year, those who use less water this winter will see lower bills next year.

The credit program also includes discounts for multifamily residences and was conceived as a way to encourage conservation.