Public Works Director Thomas Martens said Ware will have requirements in place for people who install irrigation meters to distinguish for billing purposes the amount of water used for lawns.
WARE – A new policy adopted by the Water and Sewer Commission allows homeowners to install meters to measure the amount of water they direct to lawn sprinkler systems so that that amount may be deducted when they are paying sewer use fees.
In its role as the Water and Sewer Commission, the Board of Selectmen instituted the policy, which stipulates that residents would have to install the irrigation meters at their own expense.
They would have to purchase the meters from the town, meet plumbing codes and other town requirements such as ensuring there is a way to prevent backflow, and follow through with reporting readings to the town.
These people would still pay for all the water coming to their homes, including that which flows to the sprinklers, but they could deduct the irrigation meter amounts from their sewer use fees.
“It is a tricky issue in some communities because it does fly in the face of water restrictions if people have unrestricted use of their sprinkler systems, but we can deal with that in other ways,’’ Public Works Director Thomas J. Martens said.
The selectmen acted on this issue after some residents introduced the subject, saying they felt it was unfair to pay sewer fees on water that does not go into the town’s sanitary sewer system.
“We felt, to be fair, that we needed to put a policy together. If it is done fairly, I don’t see a problem with it,’’ Martens said.
The state has been increasing efforts to curtail water consumption, and Martens said that if concerns develop at any time about the supply in Ware, there are restrictions the town may impose on watering lawns for anyone on the municipal system.
“The state is trying to get more aggressive on non-essential water use,’’ he said.
Ware has historically had high levels of unaccounted water in the system, something that reached 28 percent last year, but it has also had a relatively low level of per capita consumption, Martens said.
While there are concerns in some communities about the heavy use of water for irrigating lawns, that has not been a problem in Ware, Martens said.
Only a few residents have so far shown interest in installing the irrigation meters.
“They will be paying for it as water. We would lose sewer revenue but it is a fair thing to do,’’ Martens said.
People who do not install the irrigation meters will still be paying sewer fees for the water they direct to their lawns, which is the case in most communities.