Water rates will go up sooner rather than later for Tacoma Water customers.

The Tacoma City Council moved forward Tuesday with an overall 5.4 percent increase, despite a last-minute plea for relief from Metro Parks Tacoma officials.

Residential customers will see a 2.3 percent hike this year, followed by a 1.7 percent rise in 2010. The parks/irrigation class, which covers the majority of Metro Parks’ water, will go up 10.7 percent this year and 8 percent in 2010.

Council members were sympathetic to the plight of the parks.

Council members said they want the city to work with the agency to find ways to slow the rate of increases.

Finding something other than drinking water to irrigate parks is probably the best bet, they said.

Councilman Mike Lonergan noted that much of what’s driving the last several years worth of Tacoma Water rate increases is the need to comply with federal drinking water standards. Covering McMillan Reservoir is part of that, and it’s hugely expensive.

But the parks’ trees and plants don’t need drinking water.

If the council had decided to hold off on adopting the new rates, it would have cost about $167,000, water officials said. That’s because they were planning on making the new rates effective Jan. 19.

A delay by the City Council would have put off a rate increase until Feb. 9 at the earliest, requiring a larger increase.

Metro Parks Chairwoman Victoria Woodards said the department didn’t want to hold up the process for everyone, but she asked for “whatever relief we can get.”

The department’s water rates have risen 97 percent since 2002, she said.

Jason Hagey: 253-597-8542

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