The new water rate format for single-family properties is similar to the system Park City implemented for commercial businesses in 2024. The goal is to incentivize conservation while penalizing property owners that use too much water.
“You kind of have a water budget for each size lot, and once you exceed that budget – that’s when you get penalized,” Park City Public Utilities Director Clint McAffee said.
The Park City Council gave direction at its most recent meeting March 27 to continue studying a new structure for single-family residential water rates.
Under the existing structure, there is a single billing rate (depending on meter size) that accommodates indoor water use and summer outdoor water use for irrigation, according to a staff report. Average indoor water use for single-family homes consistently hovers around 5,000 gallons per month, but outdoor irrigation varies widely depending on lot size.
Under the proposed changes, single-family homeowners could pick one of the three plans (small, medium and large) based on the size of their property.
McAffee said the goal of the new system is to decrease costs for customers using less than the 90th percentile of average water consumption.
However, he said users in that top 10% will be hit with “extreme penalty pricing,” which could double the cost of water bills for some owners if they do not change their water use behavior.
There are about 4,700 single-family residential water customers in Park City. The council plans to continue discussing the new rate structure along with the water department’s budget in the coming weeks.
Park City Municipal is a financial supporter of KPCW.
