GEORGETOWN, Texas - The city of Georgetown is reminding customers of new water rates that might cause an increase in water bills as usage for lawn irrigation increases.
The new rates went into effect on January 1:
The city says that for the average water customer using 10,200 gallons per month, the monthly water bill will increase to $46.25 from $40.98. Customers using 7,000 gallons per month or less will see a modest increase of 10 cents per thousand gallons on their bill. An increase to the base rate or fixed monthly charge of $1.50 applies to all residential customers.
In the new water usage rate tier, the highest rate of $8.40 per thousand gallons now applies to monthly water use above 25,000 gallons, says the city. Under the previous rates, the highest rate of $8.50 per thousand gallons did not apply until 60,000 gallons.
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The new water rates were adopted in October following a cost-of-service rate study completed last year. The study helped determine the rates and rate structure needed to equitably fund the water utility, including all costs associated with operating, maintaining, and expanding the utility, says the city.
New development pays an impact fee in addition to the water rates to help cover the cost of new infrastructure.
Water treatment plant capacity
Since last summer, more than 5,000 new utility customers have been added to the Georgetown water utility service area due to continued population growth from new housing starts.
While expansions of the Lake Water Treatment Plant and the Hoover Pump Station are currently underway, the City has contracted with the City of Leander to purchase an additional 3 million gallons of treatment capacity this year to help address the growth in customers.
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."With 5,000 additional customers and a limited amount of additional treatment capacity, it is imperative that we use our resources responsibly, and follow our ordinances so that we can reduce the chances of further restrictions this summer," she added.
During the summer months, 75 percent of the drinking water treated each day in the city is used for irrigation of lawns and landscapes.
Watering schedule
City of Georgetown water utility customers are asked to make sure they follow the two-day watering schedule for irrigation systems and hose-end sprinklers. The year-round, two-day per week irrigation schedule is based on the last digit of the street address.
Addresses ending in 1, 5, and 9 can water on Tuesdays and/or Fridays, addresses ending in 2, 4, 6, and 8 can water on Wednesdays and/or Saturdays, and addresses ending in 0, 3, and 7 can water on Thursdays and/or Sundays.
No residents can irrigate on Mondays as Monday is a maintenance and recovery day for the water system. Watering with a hand-held hose or bucket, washing a vehicle, or filling a swimming pool, can be done any day at any time.
Violations of the irrigation schedule may result in fines.
Watering times
The best time for watering lawns and landscapes is on the designated watering day in the early morning hours after midnight. This allows the water to soak into the soil and reach the roots of the grass and plants.
Watering during the heat of the day, especially between noon and 7 p.m., should be avoided since much of the water from sprinklers will evaporate and is wasted.
Water rebates and conservation programs
The city says it offers customer rebates to encourage water conservation. A $75 rebate is available to customers to help offset the cost of having the irrigation controller inspected by a licensed irrigator and set to recommended specifications.
Irrigation efficiency rebates of up to $150 are available for spray-to-drip whole-zone conversion, multi-stream nozzle whole-zone conversion, and smart controller replacement to replace an existing controller with a Wi-Fi-enabled, weather-based controller. Rebates are offered on a first-come, first-served basis while funding is available.
Customers also may sign up for AquaAlerts, which are emails sent when your water use hits pre-set levels each month, or sign up for GUARD, which allows you to track your water and electric use daily.
For information on programming your irrigation controller, water rebates and programs, and more, click here.