Moses Lake hopes to reduce overwatering with rate adjustments
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 2 years, 6 months AGO
Joel Martin has been with the Columbia Basin Herald for more than 25 years in a variety of roles and is the most-tenured employee in the building. Martin is a married father of eight and enjoys spending time with his children and his wife, Christina. He is passionate about the paper’s mission of informing the people of the Columbia Basin because he knows it is important to record the history of the communities the publication serves. | February 29, 2024 4:46 PM
MOSES LAKE — Some residents in Moses Lake will see a change in their water bills this month.
Beginning on March 9, irrigation and residential customers who use more than 10,000 cubic feet of water per month will be billed at a new Tier 4 rate.
“We don't want your money. We want your water,” Moses Lake City Council Member David Skaug said at Tuesday’s council meeting. “And I think that needs to be something that is clearly understood, that this isn't to penalize anybody, but it's to try to get as much water for other development as we can. And people need to prudently use the water that they get.”
The entire water rate schedule will be updated April 1, according to an announcement from the city. Existing rates include three tiers. Tier 1 users, who use 1,000 square feet or less per month will stay at the same rate, $0.46 per 100 cubic feet. Tier 2 users, who go through 1,001-5,000 cubic feet, and Tier 3 users, at 5,001-10,000 cubic feet, will pay $1.40 and $2.78 per 100 cubic feet, respectively.
The new Tier 4 rate will be $3.75 per 100 cubic feet, as well as a $250 excess use charge.
One cubic foot of water equals about 7 ½ gallons.
“There are several users, but not certainly not the majority, that use a significantly larger amount of water than the average person does here,” said Mayor Dustin Swartz. “There's been debate back and forth as to what the average really should be in an arid desert climate but regardless, there are these users who we've identified that use far more than their fair share, to an extent where it's not understandable in some cases where they're putting the water.”
“When you're starting off at 10,000, on this tier, that actually translates into 75,000 gallons a month,” Council Member Victor Lombardi said. “That's a pretty large number for a three- or four-bedroom house to be using on a consistent basis.”
Also in the new regulations is a provision that the city will no longer offer after-hours water turn-on for delinquent accounts. Water will instead be restored the next business day after the account is current. The watering schedule that was adopted last year will remain in effect: odd-numbered addresses may irrigate Sunday, Wednesday and Friday, while even-numbered addresses may water Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Watering is prohibited between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m., and all day on Mondays.
“We've struggled with this over a few years with increased water rates, and that just didn't seem to be working,” said Council Member Deanna Martinez. “So we're going to try things a little differently. It does sound extreme, but as Mayor Swartz mentioned, it's unfortunately a small group of people in comparison to everybody. So I want to thank all those who are diligent about their water use.”
Joel Martin may be reached via email at [email protected].
ARTICLES BY JOEL MARTIN
Quincy National Night Out scales down
QUINCY — Quincy’s National Night Out was more compact this year, which worked out well, said QPD Sgt. Joe Westby, who’s in charge of event planning for the Quincy Police Department. “National Night Out is a big event, and the fact that we’re able to shrink it up is like a breath of fresh air,” Westby said. “If you're always doing the same thing, it's kind of nice to switch things up and see how it works.” National Night Out took place Thursday on the block of C Street next to the police station, a shift from previous years when it was held at Lauzier Park. The smaller space meant fewer emergency vehicles for children to explore, but it also meant less walking for attendees. Grant County Fire District 5 brought a fire truck, and the Grant County Sheriff’s Office had a patrol boat. Renew, the Grant County behavioral health agency, had a booth and so did Quincy Partnership for Youth. Veterans Operation Creation sang the national anthem, and the Quincy Animal Shelter brought kittens that piled over each other making friends with passersby. As before, the QPD served grilled hot dogs.
Quincy Police retirements leave big shoes to fill
QUINCY — There are some big shoes to fill at the Quincy Police Department. “We’re losing 48 years of experience between them,” Quincy Police Chief Ryan Green said at the retirement party for Capt. Jorge Trujillo and Det. Damon Powell Thursday. Trujillo, who grew up in Sunnyside, has been with QPD for 19 years, he said, coming on as a patrol officer fresh out of the military. From there he served as a field training officer, a detective and finally captain. “I consider him my left-hand man,” Green said. “He runs the operations side of the house … He knows the agency very well, and he knows the community.” Trujillo has some projects around the house to tackle now that he’s retired, he said.
Big fun on a small scale
Wheat Land Communities’ Fair opens Thursday
RITZVILLE — The Wheat Land Communities’ Fair isn’t as big or as flashy as some of the county fairs around central Washington, but the folks who keep it going like it just the way it is. “It’s somewhere you can go and get an old-time traditional feeling, and you’re comfortable letting your kids roam the grounds and experience all that it has to offer,” said Board Member Lori Williams. “It’s more of a feeling than (one) specific thing,” The fair starts Thursday in Ritzville and runs through Sunday. Starting Friday, the 56th Ritzville Rodeo will take place alongside the fair at the rodeo grounds. This year the entertainment budget was expanded, Williams said, to be able to offer more fun that’s covered by the cost of admission. For the kids, there’s face painting, balloon art, Lego crafts, races, contests and games. Children can also ride on a little train towed around the fairgrounds behind a tractor.