PORT TOWNSEND — The Jefferson County Public Utility District commissioners approved the resolution of an additional payment tier to their billing system.
The fourth tier will be for water use of more than 30,000 gallons per month, and will cost $1 per 100 gallons.
The increase will affect the approximately 1 percent of Public Utility District (PUD) customers who use more than 30,000 gallons of water per month.
The increase will go into effect Jan. 5, but customers probably will not see the increase on their bills until spring, said Will O’Donnell, PUD communications manager.
“High water use is generally seasonal, and usually limited to the warm weather months,” O’Donnell said. “So customers who might be affected by the new rate will be unlikely to be impacted by it until later in the year.”
The current average for household water usage is less than 5,000 gallons per month.
That’s for more than 3,000 users.
An average of 39 users consume more than 30,000 gallons per month. Of those, the average use is 48,672 gallons per month, 10.8 times the average of the other 99 percent, according to the PUD.
The current tier system for residential customers is broken into three tiers, based on gallons of water used and charged per 100 gallons.
Tier one is for water use from zero to 5,000 gallons, and costs $0.29 per 100 gallons.
Tier two is for water use from 5,001 to 10,000 gallons, and costs $0.40 per 100 gallons.
Tier three is now for water use more than 10,000 gallons, but Jan. 5, it will be for customers using 10,001 to 30,000 gallons, and will cost the same $0.54 per 100 gallons.
The 30,000 gallon threshold was determined by the PUD to primarily affect those consistently using more than that amount, and to least affect those who use that much infrequently.
Some customers use from 70,000 to 100,000 gallons a month, said Jean Hall, customer service manager.
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Jefferson County reporter Zach Jablonski can be reached at 360-385-2335, ext. 5 or at zjablonski@peninsuladailynews.com.
