Terrytown urges water conservation

Scottsbluff Star-Herald:

With the hottest months of the summer still to come, Terrytown residents are urged to conserve water whenever possible.

City Engineer Jeff Wolfe reported to council members the city’s water bill increased “drastically” over the past month. Although citizens are on a flat rate for usage, the city pays neighboring Gering by the gallon for providing water.

Terrytown pays an average of $18,600 a month for its water purchases from Gering. As the temperature rises, that number will go even higher.

“If our water consumption continues to escalate at its current rate, we’ll be going in the red for costs,” Wolfe said. “We’ll actually be paying more for water than the revenue we get from selling it to consumers.”

Wolfe said the city has some emergency ordinances to regulate water usage, but those were enacted during the drought years in the early 2000s to address shortages.