City residents with pools or who like to water their lawns a lot will likely soon see a discount on their future water bills during the summer.

Warsaw City Council on Monday approved establishing a “summer credit” for high-volume water users during the summer.

The credit will be based on the average water use determined during other parts of the year and use it as a baseline for summer charges for those who sign up for the credit.

The sign-up will be a one-time requirement until there is a change in ownership of the property.

Exactly how that notification will be done – it may well be a simple as a checkmark on a form that comes with the wastewater bill – has not been announced by the city yet.

The original proposal called for the credit to run from mid-May to mid- September, but because of a billing complication, that grace period was expanded and adjusted to five months.

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The version approved by council will include a credit period from mid-April and extend to mid-September.

The change in policy comes amid rising monthly fees for wastewater treatment to pay for massive improvements and expansion of the wastewater treatment plans and related utilities.

Cost of the improvements are expected to be around $41 million.

The city increased the sewer rate last year and is expected to do it again this year.

The idea of a summer credit surfaced last year during the rate hike debate.

The program is available to customers who use Indiana American Water.

City wastewater bills are based on water usage for Indiana American Water customers.

The baseline used this summer will based on water usage from a three-month period last year and will be adjusted next year and based on usage from October, November and December, Davison said.