Check your water bill

Starting Oct. 1 residents who live in Idaho Falls will see a 6 percent increase on their water bill.

The City of Idaho Falls mailed out a letter informing residents of the new water rates and the change to how the bill will be broken down and calculated.

The new increase will be seen in the irrigation rate, a single family home’s current water rate was $326.35 per year. The new water rate for a single-family home will be $346.80 per year, a $20.45 difference for the year.

Commercial businesses may or may not see an increase in irrigation rate depending on the type of business it is and how much water they use. Apartment complexes along with duplex units will see little to no increase because they don’t have much to irrigate. Apartment complexes and duplex units have half as much landscaping as a single family home and apartments have a quarter of that according to Idaho Falls Water Superintendent David Richardson.

Residents use to be billed once a year for irrigation and now they will be billed on a monthly basis. However, the indoor rate will go down, said Richardson.

The rates are broken down as followed; single family homes, duplex units, apartment complexes, and commercial businesses.

“For years and years we have not had any homes metered,” said Richardson.

Last year residents saw a sharp increase in their water bill as well, a facility plan recommended a series of smaller increases on an annual basis.

There are irrigation rates that have been established nationwide, and those rates estimate a certain amount of water that a lawn consumes. Idaho’s average water rates are a little higher compared to the rest of the nation.

“The reality is people use more water outdoors than they do indoors,” Richardson said.

To find out about how to calculate your new water bill visit www.idahofallsidaho.gov or if you have any questions for the water division call 208-612-8471 or email newrates@idahofallsidaho.gov.