There are a couple more. And Bogalusa Mayor Mack McGehee is hoping to, like similarly-sized Baker, fund a meter system through the federal government’s economic stimulus package via the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospital’s Drinking Water Revolving Loan program.
During a special meeting last week, the City Council authorized him to take the first step of applying for a bond.
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“We need to go to meters for many reasons,” said McGehee. “We might not have a problem today. But nobody has a magic wand for what’s going to happen in five years, 10 years or for the next generation in this community. In Bogalusa the current system doesn’t give anyone incentive to repair leaks or conserve water, and water is a precious commodity. Regardless of how much you have, that’s still waste.
“This city uses more millions of gallons of water a day than any city of its size in Louisiana, an average of 5 million gallons a day. On Saturday, over 6 million gallons went into the sewer system. The typical city only uses three to four million gallons. It’s because we have no control at all.”
If Bogalusa moves from a flat rate to a system that charges according to consumption, people would be more inclined to fix drips and other plumbing problems that waste water, he said. It’s been reported that if a single household has one toilet with a bad valve that runs for 24 hours it uses 2,880 gallons of water that day.
The meter system would enable the city to quickly identify leaks and locate areas where it’s losing water, and to make the necessary repairs if the problem is on the city’s side, or to get the property owner to fix the problem if it’s in-house.
The reported status of the local water supply varies according to which entity makes the statement. Last year, the Louisiana Water Science Center said the Southern Hills Aquifer system, which feeds Bogalusa and much of the region, supplying 290 million gallons per day for consumption, is in reasonably good shape. But that same year, the Army Corps of Engineers said the aquifer is supplying more water than it can sustain, that its water levels are dropping as much as a foot annually and that the quality of the water is also declining.
Even if there is water, there is no reason to use up a limited resource, said McGehee.
Meter-prompted conservation would also save money for the city and water consumers, he said.
According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, water meters and improved leak detection helped a California vineyard cut its annual water use by 24 percent.
In a metered system, repaired leaks and lower consumption means lower bills, said McGehee.
“It would force improvement,” he said. “And everybody could control their own use. The normal household’s bill will be cheaper than it is now because they will have control. If they reduce consumption, they’ll reduce their bill.”
There are exemptions of up to 50 percent the water and sewer rates for very low income consumers, McGehee added.
Reduced water consumption could also mean increased water pressure for fire fighting, and that could translate into an improved insurance rating and lower premiums for property owners. It could also mean less wear and tear on the equipment, said McGehee.
“There are a lot of good reasons for meters,” he said. “From a governmental standpoint, (besides Ad Valorem taxes, sales taxes and grants) the only way the City of Bogalusa has to generate income is with its water and sewer systems. We’re just trying to get people to pay for what they use.”
McGehee confirmed that local churches and non-profit agencies, which have been exempt from paying for the services, were recently sent letters informing them that must now pay.
“That was done since the city was formed, but it’s a policy the city can no longer afford to do,” he said. “We’re trying to generate every dollar we can get.”
Under the new system, every water customer, both residential and commercial, would be metered, said McGehee. Consumers would each be given one meter and would have the option to buy a second for $500 if they want one for filling their pools or watering their lawns or for other purposes that would not require return through the sewer system.
The meters will ultimately pay for themselves “and give us a surplus,” said McGehee.
In a city struggling to get back in the black financially, that beats decreased services or employee layoffs, he said.
“If you want just two police on a shift, overgrown ditches or for me to close a fire station, that will free up some money,” he said. “Otherwise, we’ve got to increase revenues with what we’ve got. And this is fair. If you use it, you pay for it.”
Comments
marcus wrote on Jul 8, 2009 9:01 PM:
curious07 wrote on Jul 8, 2009 7:34 PM:
Edmond Paul Ed Chandler wrote on Jul 8, 2009 10:41 AM:
Aeolus wrote on Jul 5, 2009 12:15 PM:
Edmond Paul Ed Chandler wrote on Jul 5, 2009 7:24 AM:
Curley wrote on Jul 4, 2009 10:18 AM:
Just Me wrote on Jul 4, 2009 6:50 AM:
Bogalusa business owner wrote on Jul 2, 2009 10:29 AM:
Watching the water wrote on Jul 2, 2009 9:00 AM:
Mack the magnificent talks about how much water we use compared to other cities our size well what about the number of city employees we have compared to other cities our size? How do we compare on a department by department basis? "
only in bogalusa wrote on Jul 1, 2009 4:59 PM:
Joe Nobody wrote on Jul 1, 2009 2:45 PM:
DEE wrote on Jul 1, 2009 2:13 PM:
DEE wrote on Jul 1, 2009 2:06 PM:
marcus wrote on Jul 1, 2009 1:58 PM:
Aeolus wrote on Jul 1, 2009 1:15 PM: