Water Rate Hike For Cherokee District
By Samantha Andersons.Anderson@krdo.comFollow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/SamEAnderson
COLORADO SPRINGS – A big water rate hike for homeowners in the Cherokee Metropolitan District.
Traditionally, the district has had some of the lowest water bills in the region. But for the next three years, homeowners will be paying more than ever.
The new contract with Colorado Springs Utilities (CSU) will cost customers an 87% rate increase. That’s 22% more than Colorado Springs residents pay. “They’re very unhappy, they don’t like it,” said Kip Petersen, Cherokee’s general manager. “For somebody in mid-winter it’s an extra $15 to $20 dollars, in the summer its an extra $40 to $50.”
City council approved a deal Wednesday to provide water to the troubled district. Cherokee lost 60% of water rights in court a few years ago.
The contract with the city will run until December 2012. The district is hoping to have other sources of water by that time.
