By Michael Van Sickler, Times Staff Writer
Thursday, August 26, 2010
ST. PETERSBURG — Good news city water consumers! After being told last year to conserve water, you did just that and water use dropped by 2 million gallons a day.
Bad news city water consumers! The City Council is scheduled next month to hike water bills by 7.5 percent beginning with October's bill.
The reason? Water use dropped.
Huh?
"I'm boggled," said City Council member Wengay Newton. "We tell people to conserve, don't waste water, and the way we reward them is with higher rates?"
Blame the bitter irony on the logistics of Tampa Bay's water system.
St. Petersburg gets its water from Tampa Bay Water, which has been hit hard by less consumption. So it's increasing what it charges the city by 16.8 percent.
"What's driving this increase, first and foremost, is Tampa Bay Water," said Mike Connors, the city's administrator of public works. "Second, is less water being sold."
In the short term, at least, when water demand drops, the city saves by lowered electricity costs and reduced use of chemicals that are needed to treat the water. But that's a small fraction of total costs. Most of the other costs in treating and delivering water to the city's residents are fixed, and don't change.
The plants and pump stations still need repairs and staff. The city is at a minimum staffing level now, and that cost won't change with a drop in use.
It's an explanation that council members asked Connors to repeat several times.
"Why does it cost more if we use less?" Bill Dudley asked. "I get that all the time, and I try to explain, but I can't."
"It's counter-intuitive," said Connors. "We have a very high overhead operation that doesn't lend itself to variable costs based on variable flow."
It's a nuance that will be hard for some residents to understand when they get their October bill. The average customer who uses 5,600 gallons will see their bill increase by $4.15 a month, from $55.66 to $59.81. That's the biggest annual increase since 2003, when the average bill climbed 9 percent to $46.58 a month.
Connors said residents should still keep conserving because it does save money, a message echoed by Council Member Karl Nurse, who is the city's representative on Tampa Bay Water.
"Long term, people will be paying less by conserving," said Nurse, who pointed out that less demand has delayed large capital projects at Tampa Bay Water. "It's still cheaper than having the desal plan full time. I just wish it was all good news."
Michael Van Sickler can be reached at mvansickler@sptimes.com