Utilities set to raise water rates March 1

    HARLAN -- Water rates for Harlan residents and businesses will go up March 1 following action at the Jan. 24 Harlan Municipal Utilities Board of Trustees meeting.
    The board voted the increases in keeping with earlier projections based on the construction of the new water plant several years ago.
     Originally, the plan was to make increases July 1, but more recent updates to the filtration system increased costs, so the board voted to make the change March 1 with most seeing the effect on their April 1 invoices.
     The increase was made to both the base fees and the usage fees.
     The average home owner will see about $2.46 more billed in a breakdown of $1.02 more for base residential line to the home; $.33 on the base water plant fee and $.37 per 1,000 gallons of water used (above total assumes an average of 3,000 gallons used per month).
     Fees would be higher for users with larger main lines to the meter,  for those living in Cresthaven and using a pumping station, and those using more gallons per month.