THEWATERCOOLERFROMFACEBOOK.

If Austin’s drought gets worse, the AustinWater Utility is considering adding a “drought fee” to water bills. As Austinites have heeded the call to conserve, the utility has lost revenue it says it needs to continue operating.

Kelly Davis Appice: They tell everyone to conserve then you get charged a fee for doing just that. ... They also jack up the rates as they please and want the public to just let them do it. NO! Maybe they should cut back on employees and outings and surveys that mean nothing.

Gabriel Gonzales: Well there are many people that water their grass everyday during the day and wash their car 2 times a week. Most people in Austin don’t even know that Lake Travis is only at 30 percent capacity. I think the city realizes that the only way to get people to truly conserve is by hitting them in their wallets. I don’t agree with what they are doing but the only other option is to move to reuse waste water or more popularly know as “from toilet to tap” which would cost even more due to production.

Mark Hines: As long as ALL builders and developers pay 5 times that fee. Or here is a logical idea, STOP BUILDING AND GROWING A TOWN WITH WATER PROBLEMS MORONS!!!!!!!

Matthew Carlson: The water utility already has a shortfall of employees, and open positions are being frozen regardless. It takes employees to make sure you can get water from your tap. It’s not just magic.

Jon Best: I see a lot of wasted water. The main Steiner Ranch entrance frequently has water running down the street as does the revamped 7th St. at Pleasant Valley where they planted water-thirsty palm trees as though this is Florida, and many other state properties and private businesses have poorly maintained sprinkler systems spraying errant water. And now Austin wants to rebuild Riverside and plant trees which will also need much precious water. All senseless, why not plant native cactuses and drought-tolerant native grasses rather then St. Augustine? Once again, this is not Florida. I think all private households and businesses, and government institutions should be “Drought Charged” exponentially for water use to encourage conservation, and private wells within the city for watering lawns should be outlawed. And, of course, the social element of using the Water Utility to fund affordable housing should be eliminated.

Katia Pelt: The water company does seem to be caught between a rock and a hard place. I do, however, fail to see why the customer has to pay more for less water as we conserve as much as we can. Surely there are other options?