Kristina and David / Flickr
Lake Thunderbird in June 2013
Norman is the only city in Oklahoma where voters make decisions about water rates, and on Tuesday they decided by a 67 percent margin pricier bills are worth infrastructure improvements that promise higher quality water.
Mayor Cindy Rosenthal spoke with The Norman Transcript‘s Joy Hampton:
In a previous story, Hampton talked to Utilities Director Ken Komiske, who says Norman can’t currently meet its own water demand and needs to increase capacity at its water treatment plant. The city has to buy water from Oklahoma City and is dealing with water quality concerns at Lake Thunderbird — the city’s main water source.
About two-thirds of the city’s water supply comes from Lake Thunderbird. When the lake turns over in the fall, many city water customers experience taste and odor issues. The proposed improvements, in particular the ozone treatment, will address those concerns.
The city also will be able to address emerging contaminants that are likely to be regulated in the near future, including pharmaceuticals and hormones, as well as various heavy metals.
The voter-approved package moves Norman to a tiered payment system based on water usage. Water currently costs $2 per thousand gallons for those using less than 5,000 gallons per month. That rate will increase to $3.35. The more a customer uses, the higher the rate. Those using more than 20,000 gallons per month will now pay $6.80 per thousand gallons.
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