One thing that will drive up Everett water rates

If you’ve ever driven to the top of Rucker Hill, you’ve probably spotted the huge, open air reservoir. It serves one entity, Kimberly-Clark, with at least 30 million gallons of water a day. The KC pulp and paper mills are scheduled to close in mid-April. What’s going to happen to that reservoir?

In the short term, not much. The city is taking a wait-and-see approach, said public works director Dave Davis. The city placed a six-month moratorium on developing the site. It may be that whatever is put in that spot may well take advantage of the water supply.

Here’s one other way the mill closure might affect you. The loss of Kimberly-Clark, one of the city’s biggest wholesale industrial water customers, means ratepayers will have to make up the $1.5 million in lost revenue annually that Kimberly-Clark provided. As you may have already read today in print, the utilities department is already moving all customers paying a flat rate for a water onto a meter.