A committee in Athens will soon propose a permanent cap on the amount of water residents there can use. The plan being considered may also involve a tiered pricing system to force big users to cut back. Under the proposal by city commissioners, residents who want more water for the lawns will pay steeper prices. This is not the first time Athens has considered tiered pricing for water. A water conservation pricing scheme was considered in 2000 and 2004 but never acted upon. Athens is already nearing a so-called Step F drought management plan. One that could require industries, government and residents to cut their water use even further if the drought continues.
