Reports show drop in electricity, water use

Data from Duke Energy Indiana and the Monroe Water Treatment Plant revealed a reduction in water and electricity use in 2012.

Duke Energy provides electricity for commercial, government, industrial and residential establishments.

The electricity report for the Bloomington district showed a 2.25-percent drop in total use from 2011 to 2012 and a 5.09-percent drop in total use from 2010 to 2012.
The commercial, residential and government categories showed decreased use between 2011 and 2012, while the industrial sector’s electricity use showed a 1.92-percent increase.

The Monroe Water Treatment Plant serves Monroe County and parts of Brown County, said Rachel Atz, water quality coordinator for the utilities department.

In addition to being used to provide water to customers, water treated at the plant is also used to backwash water filters, fight fires and flush water transmission mains, Atz said.

The 2012 report showed a 6.82-percent decrease in water treated at the plant compared to the previous year. Usage levels in 2012 were higher than 2010 levels by less than 0.001 percent.

Atz said she believes last year’s drought contributed to the reduction in 2012.
She said in May and June 2012, the treatment plant was producing water at its maximum capacity of 24 million gallons per day. Because there was less rainfall, residents used more water by watering their lawns and filling their swimming pools to cool off, she said.

“We actually had, for the first time ever, voluntary and mandatory water restrictions,” she said.  

Despite above-average water usage levels prior to the restrictions, the same restrictions resulted in an overall decrease for the year, Atz said.

Currently, the facility is undergoing a $46 million expansion to increase the amount of water it can treat to 30 million gallons per day.

Atz said this will help prevent water restrictions in the future.

“We don’t expect to have that problem this year,” she said. “Our new facility will allow us to meet the needs of the community.”