Del-Co Water Co. will be raising rates for its customers in Delaware County, effective June 1.

Liberty Township trustees were the first public body in the county to be advised of Del-Co Water’s rate restructuring at their meeting Monday.

A presentation was given by Glenn Marzluf, general manager and CEO of Del-Co Water, at the meeting. “Everyone will see a 10 cent per 1,000-gallon cost increase,” Marzluf said. “The rate structure change is effective June 1.”

Customers using less than 25,000 gallons of water per month will see only a slight increase in their bill, he said. “It’s approximately 1.5 percent or less of an increase,” Marzluf said.

During the summer, water usage dramatically climbs due to yard watering, gardens and other outdoor activities. High demand puts a strain on water reserves, he said. “Our average summer day, we use 34 percent more water than our average winter day,” Marzluf said. “We have a challenge. We have very high seasonal demand on Del-Co water.”

In the hopes of changing the water consumption behavior of customers through pricing, Del-Co has added a conservation tier to the price structure, he said. Residential and irrigation customers using more than 25,100 gallons will see an increase of 40 cents per 1,000 gallons of water used.

“I think everybody understands the kind of homes we build in Delaware County these days,” Marzluf said.

If a residential customer with a half-acre lot were to water it with four inches of water per month, that customer would move into the conservation tier. “They’re not decreasing the peak,” Marzluf said.

Del-Co has seen a steady growth of 4 percent in customers the last four years. “The master plan is expecting us to double our water demand over the next 20 years,” Marzluf said. “It’s not the growth we see today but we are preparing for it today.”

To prevent possible water supply shortages during drought conditions, Del-Co is building a pump station at O’Shaughnessy Reservoir to feed the Olentangy reservoir, he said. According a Del-Co information sheet, the estimated cost for the project is $12 million.

Trustees said they appreciated Marzluf’s presentation on the new rate schedule. “I think people during the summer can modify their behavior to ensure they don’t cross that threshold,” said Trustee Shyra Eichhorn.

In other business, trustees appointed Kelly Kammann as a member of the township’s Board of Zoning Appeals. Kammann will be replacing Doug Riedel who didn’t wish to serve a second term.

Trustees authorized a $20,000 expenditure for annual firefighter physicals by Mount Carmel Occupational Health.

Trustees also authorized the hiring of Susan Trout as a part-time zoning secretary; Shawn Pounds as a full-time park and road maintenance worker; and Dominic Bertke and Sophia Thomas as part-time park and road workers.

Trustees also authorized the sale or recycling of obsolete equipment and street signs.