Colchester Mayor Danny Bice would like to get a clearer picture of the city's water consumption.
One step he would like to take is to install a water meter at the Colchester Fire protection District building.
He says, “We're just putting in there so we'll have data so we can put it on every month, you know. We're not charging for it. But it's just something so we can account for the water that we're buying.”
The district is not charged for its water use. Bice says it would not be charged for the meter installation either. He says the city would bear the estimated $1,300 cost.
The city has asked the agency to use well water rather than city water for its drills. The district says that water has a high concentration of iron that would damage its pumps.
Colchester purchases its water from Macomb. The city raised its water rates five percent August 1st to pass through the Macomb price increase.
Bice was critical of the increase. He says the increase and likely sewer rate increases to pay for new infrastructure will be a burden to city residents.