Bayfield town trustees voted to raise water and sewer rates on Tuesday night, but two residents complained a leak in a town water pipe wasted a lot of water this summer in the Clover Meadows subdivision.
Wendy Crane, who lives on Daylily Drive, said water was flowing on neighborhood streets this summer. When she called Bayfield Town Hall to complain, she was told it was probably irrigation water. She tried all summer to find where the water was leaking from. Finally this autumn, after irrigation water was turned off, town staff determined it was a leaking town line.
"It was an honest mistake," said Chris La May, Bayfield's town manager. There are several spots in Bayfield where leaking irrigation water causes springs to form in town, he added.
Lisa Carnahan of Meadows Circle said it was frustrating for homeowners to be told the leak was caused by irrigation water. They even tested the water for chlorine to prove it came out of the town system.
Mayor Matt Salka said it's hard for town staff to track down leaks, but added that he understands the residents' frustration and vowed the town would try to do better as new public works staffers start working on the town's water system.
La May said the town needs to raise the rates to prevent these problems from happening, or becoming worse.
Trustees voted 6-0 to increase the monthly water rates by 10 percent beginning in January and the monthly sanitary sewer rates by 10 percent beginning in May. An additional 10 percent sanitary sewer rate increase is scheduled for May 2021.
