ESCANABA -- How do you keep your money from trickling down the drain? It may seem harder to do, now that the water bill will soon increase by 14 percent come July.
“A rate increase in the water and wastewater--it's never a good thing,” explains Water and Wastewater Superintendent, Don French. “It just has to happen. We have to maintain what we have, and we have to treat the water, both into the house and out of the house."
There are a few ways to cut down on the costs: make sure that leaky faucets get a replacement spring, and don't let the kitchen faucet run when you're washing dishes. Also, consider swapping out your showerhead to a more efficient one, like a low-flow one that delivers just 2.5 gallons of water per minute.
The savings will all add up to more money in your pocket.
Right now in Escanaba, residents pay about $38.52 a month on their water bill. But for every 1,000 gallons of water that you don't use, you could be saving $5.06 on your bill.
And money saved can be used towards other necessities.
“You know with everything going up,” said T and T True Value Hardware Manager, Leo Evans, “Of course our gas has been going up and all that kind of stuff. Your dollar just isn't going as far as it used to. You just have to be looking at the small little things and how much they'll add up at the very end."
The bottom line is that the less water you use, the lower your monthly bill will be, even with the July increase.
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