...But not a drop to drink. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported that the City of Minneapolis' water utility is losing water at four times the rate previously reported. The City's loss rate of 15.75 percent is substantially above the 10 percent standard recommended by the American Water Works Association.
The newspaper reports that "the city can't say where all of it is going."
But don't you think that you should be so cavalier with your water use. Wasting natural resources is a great sin, for which the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources wants consumers to pay punitive rates. For example, in my town, the Minneapolis suburb of Edina, water rates increase as a customer's usage increases, with the top rate more than double the lowest rate. This pricing structure is known as "inverted block" or "tiered" rates. Meant to promote water conservation, it serves more as a tax on large households, as the rates don't distinguish between a home with a single resident or a family of 9.
But a water utility, like Minneapolis, is under no obligation to conserve, nor is it subject to a penalties for wasting water. Conservation for thee, but not for me.
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