All the wet weather we've had over the past year has an unexpected consequence: The very people who've been urging Cobb County to conserve water suffered a loss in 2013.
"This doesn't happen very much," said Glenn Page, executive director of the Cobb County-Marietta Water Authority, which supplies water to Cobb and all its cities. But, he said, it happened last year. With 80-percent more rainfall than the year before, the authority took a minor soaking. Income was down about ten percent or $2.5 million.
"In 2007, we were averaging almost 100-million gallons per day," Page explained. "Last year, we averaged around 76-million gallons per day."
There were other factors besides the rain - a lousy bond market, for instance. But in any case, Page says don't worry about a rate increase to cover the loss. He figures that even without one, the authority can weather the storm.