Rich Lefler with a trophy pike.
Photo credit Jack Payne
By Jack Payne
The sounds of leaves crunching were steady and growing closer. The doe stopped, peed, and rubbed her hocks together. She looked backward and then continued on her way.
A few minutes later, I heard leaves crunching once more. You could hear the occasional grunt, and yes, a buck showed up. He stopped, smelled where the doe peed, then took off to find her. I love hunting during the rut.
The last week of October, things start getting crazy, and they get even crazier into November. After years of recording each hunt, the full moon closest to late October or early November seems to fall near the peak rut, which helps explain the timing.
That same stretch of fall also works well for northern pike.
A buck will also often travel downwind of prominent doe trails. A rutting buck would rather cover as much ground as possible in the shortest time while looking for a hot doe than follow one trail at a time.
I do play the wind and scent. I want the wind in my face whenever possible. Do everything possible to keep a buck in front of you and upwind. Keep scent-free and spray down before leaving the vehicle and at least once or twice while in your stand.
During the rut, I experiment with scent products. Not always, but often I will walk the last 100 yards or so with a drag scent pad. I tie a scent pad to a short string to my rubber boots.
At my stand, I normally will make a triangle, walking from my stand to three spots with the scent pad freshened up. I generally hang at least two scent pads in a tree or bush. Make sure you wear gloves when doing this.
Sometimes they follow it just like you are pulling him in on a string. Other times a buck might ignore it.
I love to call deer. I learned this from a very respected national writer and photographer. I call at any buck I see, and I call once or twice unthinkingly every 15 or 20 minutes when I don't spot any deer.
Calling deer is much like calling turkey. Do it softly, and don't overcall. Generally, my sequence is two or three short urps with a pause, then repeat.
If there ever was a fish that resonates with fall, it’s the northern pike. As the water cools, the pike will spend considerable time wherever they can find green weeds.
A great early-fall location is a long point that extends from a large weed bed into deep water. Pike will move up and down the point or bar from deep water to the shallower weed flats.
Another good fall location will be the sharpest, steepest break lines and drop-offs. Keep in mind that the closer two different types of structure are, the greater the location's potential.
I prefer casting for pike on flats, weed edges, or sharp breaks. To me, there is something magical and exciting about a rod in hand.
My favorites are the one-ounce Daredevle spoons, the Johnson Silver Minnow, the No. 5 bucktail Mepps Spinners, and the Hopkins spoons.
My favorite is whichever lure is working best. I do like the thump, thump, thump vibration of a spoon. With a spoon, I can dictate the speed and the direction of the retrieve.
All of my Daredevle spoons have a single hook instead of treble hooks. I believe the single hook results in more hook-ups and makes hook removal much easier. Adding a twister tail is a must-do with the Johnson Spoons and maybe a 50/50 call with the Daredevle spoons.
The bucktail Mepps has long been my go-to lure in the fall. A bucktail works great in and around the weeds. Another overlooked lure is the Hopkins Spoon.
The Hopkins works great on the sharp drop-offs. Cast the Hopkins out, let it free-fall, pop it off the bottom, let it free-fall down, and repeat.
Take your pike, hunt rutting bucks, or chase down the northern pike. Either way, Bob’s Gun and Tackle Shop has you covered.
The sounds of leaves crunching were steady and growing closer. The doe stopped, peed, and rubbed her hocks together. She looked backward and then continued on her way.
A few minutes later, I heard leaves crunching once more. You could hear the occasional grunt, and yes, a buck showed up. He stopped, smelled where the doe peed, then took off to find her. I love hunting during the rut.
The last week of October, things start getting crazy, and they get even crazier into November. After years of recording each hunt, the full moon closest to late October or early November seems to fall near the peak rut, which helps explain the timing.
That same stretch of fall also works well for northern pike.
A buck will also often travel downwind of prominent doe trails. A rutting buck would rather cover as much ground as possible in the shortest time while looking for a hot doe than follow one trail at a time.
I do play the wind and scent. I want the wind in my face whenever possible. Do everything possible to keep a buck in front of you and upwind. Keep scent-free and spray down before leaving the vehicle and at least once or twice while in your stand.
During the rut, I experiment with scent products. Not always, but often I will walk the last 100 yards or so with a drag scent pad. I tie a scent pad to a short string to my rubber boots.
At my stand, I normally will make a triangle, walking from my stand to three spots with the scent pad freshened up. I generally hang at least two scent pads in a tree or bush. Make sure you wear gloves when doing this.
Sometimes they follow it just like you are pulling him in on a string. Other times a buck might ignore it.
I love to call deer. I learned this from a very respected national writer and photographer. I call at any buck I see, and I call once or twice unthinkingly every 15 or 20 minutes when I don't spot any deer.
Calling deer is much like calling turkey. Do it softly, and don't overcall. Generally, my sequence is two or three short urps with a pause, then repeat.
If there ever was a fish that resonates with fall, it’s the northern pike. As the water cools, the pike will spend considerable time wherever they can find green weeds.
A great early-fall location is a long point that extends from a large weed bed into deep water. Pike will move up and down the point or bar from deep water to the shallower weed flats.
Another good fall location will be the sharpest, steepest break lines and drop-offs. Keep in mind that the closer two different types of structure are, the greater the location's potential.
I prefer casting for pike on flats, weed edges, or sharp breaks. To me, there is something magical and exciting about a rod in hand.
My favorites are the one-ounce Daredevle spoons, the Johnson Silver Minnow, the No. 5 bucktail Mepps Spinners, and the Hopkins spoons.
My favorite is whichever lure is working best. I do like the thump, thump, thump vibration of a spoon. With a spoon, I can dictate the speed and the direction of the retrieve.
All of my Daredevle spoons have a single hook instead of treble hooks. I believe the single hook results in more hook-ups and makes hook removal much easier. Adding a twister tail is a must-do with the Johnson Spoons and maybe a 50/50 call with the Daredevle spoons.
The bucktail Mepps has long been my go-to lure in the fall. A bucktail works great in and around the weeds. Another overlooked lure is the Hopkins Spoon.
The Hopkins works great on the sharp drop-offs. Cast the Hopkins out, let it free-fall, pop it off the bottom, let it free-fall down, and repeat.
Take your pike, hunt rutting bucks, or chase down the northern pike. Either way, Bob’s Gun and Tackle Shop has you covered.
Michigan Communities Invest Millions in Their Rivers. Will it Bring Returns?
(This story was originally published by Bridge Michigan, a nonprofit and nonpartisan news organization. Visit the newsroom online: bridgemi.com.)
By Laura Herberg
Bridge Michigan
On a recent sunny fall morning, a couple dozen people paddled in bright-colored kayaks past factories, a docked freighter and miniature mountains of industrial materials on southeast Michigan’s Lower Rouge River.
“This is really exciting to have this many people out here kayaking the Rouge because, when I was a kid, the Rouge was so dirty they told you, ‘Don’t touch it,’” said Sally Petrella, watershed ecologist with Friends of the Rouge, which organized the paddling event.
The river was once so polluted it famously caught on fire. Petrella told attendees it has “a long way to go,” but restoration efforts have made it “safe enough for you to be out here paddling.”
Communities across the state are pumping hundreds of millions of dollars into rivers like the Rouge, hoping for both environmental and economic returns.
Battle Creek has pitched a project to renaturalize part of the Kalamazoo River that runs over concrete. Grand Rapids is working to restore rapids to the Grand River downtown. A state park is being built around Flint’s riverfront. The state announced earlier this month it’s investing $89 million to clean up the Detroit, Kalamazoo and other rivers.
Backers envision more riverside development bringing tourists to kayak, fish and otherwise enjoy cleaner waterways that are more hospitable to native plants and animals.
Economic impact studies aren’t always completed for such projects, but many point to a 2007 Brookings Institution study that predicted a $3 return for every $1 invested in waterway restoration. A study on the Huron River in 2017 found the river produced $53.5 million in economic activity annually, while a 2023 White River study pegged its economic impact at $20 million.
“We’ve actually done studies in Muskegon that have showed a 6-to-1 return on investment,” said Alan Steinman, a professor at Grand Valley State University’s Annis Water Resources Institute and a co-author of the Michigan Blue Economy report.
“The number is less important than the concept that, ‘Oh my God, these properties really do have inherent value, cultural value and economic value that had none associated with (them) prior to the restoration effort.”
Kris Martin, an urban planner with Battle Creek Unlimited, the firm helping to look into whether part of the Kalamazoo river should be renaturalized, said removing the aging concrete channel would make the river “a greater amenity to the downtown.”
“Right now, it’s not accessible for the public at all,” he said. “And it’s quite dangerous.”
Martin said costs for the project will depend on the path forward but are expected to be “in the millions.” An economic cost-benefit analysis is expected to be a component in the next report released by the US Army Corps of Engineers.
For the Flint state park project, an economic analysis is not currently planned, because it would cost money, but project spending includes $30.2 million plus a $41 million endowment for future operations and maintenance.
As for Grand Rapids, the project is estimated to cost at least $19 million. Economic impact for the project as it stands today has not been publicized.
Even when the economic impact is not calculated, administrators say river restoration projects can be a worthwhile investment.
Starting in the mid-2000s, the Traverse City area began what has been deemed the largest dam removal project in Michigan’s history. Three dams along the Boardman River were taken out to reconnect coldwater streams and restore fish habitat. The project cost more than $27 million.
Conservation Resource Alliance — which served as the project manager and financial administrator for the effort — said it doesn’t actually know what the economic benefits have been.
“It’s something that’s really hard to quantify and would take a lot of time and investment from the partner collective that removed those dams to do so,” said Gavin MacDonald, communications manager for Conservation Resource Alliance.
But MacDonald said that, anecdotally, the payoff is that the dam removals restored a more free-flowing river that benefits fish and people.
“The river is now navigable, so you can paddle large stretches of the Boardman River,” MacDonald said. “It’s made it more accessible for the people that live in the region and the people that visit to explore and be more connected with nature.”
Sometimes the payoff is known.
For decades, prime downtown waterfront property in Detroit included vacant buildings and abandoned lots. The area has now been transformed to a nationally recognized waterfront that includes greenways and parks, more than eight miles of trails, places to get a drink and go sledding. About $2 billion in public and private dollars have been invested into the project so far and the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy says visitors spend $82 million a year.
The Huron River’s water trail was designated a part of the National Water Trail System in 2015. Elizabeth Riggs, deputy director at the Huron River Watershed Council at the time, had a hunch that the water trail and other restoration work benefited the river, but she wanted proof.
“I and others working on the campaign were keen on trying to tell that story of (the river) in dollar terms — which is, as we know, a good way to tell a story — to try to reach as many people as possible, and to help convince decision-makers to invest in rivers and protecting them and restoring them,” she said.
The watershed council commissioned a study, published in 2017 by Grand Valley State University, to evaluate the economic impact of the Huron River. Researchers found that the river and its water trail were estimated to generate $53.5 million in economic output annually and that the river provided $150 million a year in economic value services through recreation, flood reduction, harboring rare organisms and more.
In 2023, Grand Valley State University also published an economic assessment of the White River. The river is located in west Michigan and runs through the Huron-Manistee National Forests. It’s fed by coldwater streams and can support salmon and trout.
The study found that nearly 70,000 visitors came to the White River in a year and that the river’s total economic impact was valued at $20 million.
“It’s a good number to know,” said John Stivers, secretary of the White River Watershed Partnership.
But he said that, when it comes to the White River, it’s a little complicated.
The river was designated as a Country-Scenic River by the Michigan Natural Resources Commission in 1975. Development on certain stretches need to go through a Natural Rivers Zoning Review Board, he said, and the river is further protected because it runs through national forest land.
Stivers said some people see the White River as a secret and they want to keep it that way.
“There are a lot of people that love it the way it is and aren’t really too interested in turning it into a high economic engine,” he said. “It’s a balance.”
By Laura Herberg
Bridge Michigan
On a recent sunny fall morning, a couple dozen people paddled in bright-colored kayaks past factories, a docked freighter and miniature mountains of industrial materials on southeast Michigan’s Lower Rouge River.
“This is really exciting to have this many people out here kayaking the Rouge because, when I was a kid, the Rouge was so dirty they told you, ‘Don’t touch it,’” said Sally Petrella, watershed ecologist with Friends of the Rouge, which organized the paddling event.
The river was once so polluted it famously caught on fire. Petrella told attendees it has “a long way to go,” but restoration efforts have made it “safe enough for you to be out here paddling.”
Communities across the state are pumping hundreds of millions of dollars into rivers like the Rouge, hoping for both environmental and economic returns.
Battle Creek has pitched a project to renaturalize part of the Kalamazoo River that runs over concrete. Grand Rapids is working to restore rapids to the Grand River downtown. A state park is being built around Flint’s riverfront. The state announced earlier this month it’s investing $89 million to clean up the Detroit, Kalamazoo and other rivers.
Backers envision more riverside development bringing tourists to kayak, fish and otherwise enjoy cleaner waterways that are more hospitable to native plants and animals.
Economic impact studies aren’t always completed for such projects, but many point to a 2007 Brookings Institution study that predicted a $3 return for every $1 invested in waterway restoration. A study on the Huron River in 2017 found the river produced $53.5 million in economic activity annually, while a 2023 White River study pegged its economic impact at $20 million.
“We’ve actually done studies in Muskegon that have showed a 6-to-1 return on investment,” said Alan Steinman, a professor at Grand Valley State University’s Annis Water Resources Institute and a co-author of the Michigan Blue Economy report.
“The number is less important than the concept that, ‘Oh my God, these properties really do have inherent value, cultural value and economic value that had none associated with (them) prior to the restoration effort.”
Kris Martin, an urban planner with Battle Creek Unlimited, the firm helping to look into whether part of the Kalamazoo river should be renaturalized, said removing the aging concrete channel would make the river “a greater amenity to the downtown.”
“Right now, it’s not accessible for the public at all,” he said. “And it’s quite dangerous.”
Martin said costs for the project will depend on the path forward but are expected to be “in the millions.” An economic cost-benefit analysis is expected to be a component in the next report released by the US Army Corps of Engineers.
For the Flint state park project, an economic analysis is not currently planned, because it would cost money, but project spending includes $30.2 million plus a $41 million endowment for future operations and maintenance.
As for Grand Rapids, the project is estimated to cost at least $19 million. Economic impact for the project as it stands today has not been publicized.
Even when the economic impact is not calculated, administrators say river restoration projects can be a worthwhile investment.
Starting in the mid-2000s, the Traverse City area began what has been deemed the largest dam removal project in Michigan’s history. Three dams along the Boardman River were taken out to reconnect coldwater streams and restore fish habitat. The project cost more than $27 million.
Conservation Resource Alliance — which served as the project manager and financial administrator for the effort — said it doesn’t actually know what the economic benefits have been.
“It’s something that’s really hard to quantify and would take a lot of time and investment from the partner collective that removed those dams to do so,” said Gavin MacDonald, communications manager for Conservation Resource Alliance.
But MacDonald said that, anecdotally, the payoff is that the dam removals restored a more free-flowing river that benefits fish and people.
“The river is now navigable, so you can paddle large stretches of the Boardman River,” MacDonald said. “It’s made it more accessible for the people that live in the region and the people that visit to explore and be more connected with nature.”
Sometimes the payoff is known.
For decades, prime downtown waterfront property in Detroit included vacant buildings and abandoned lots. The area has now been transformed to a nationally recognized waterfront that includes greenways and parks, more than eight miles of trails, places to get a drink and go sledding. About $2 billion in public and private dollars have been invested into the project so far and the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy says visitors spend $82 million a year.
The Huron River’s water trail was designated a part of the National Water Trail System in 2015. Elizabeth Riggs, deputy director at the Huron River Watershed Council at the time, had a hunch that the water trail and other restoration work benefited the river, but she wanted proof.
“I and others working on the campaign were keen on trying to tell that story of (the river) in dollar terms — which is, as we know, a good way to tell a story — to try to reach as many people as possible, and to help convince decision-makers to invest in rivers and protecting them and restoring them,” she said.
The watershed council commissioned a study, published in 2017 by Grand Valley State University, to evaluate the economic impact of the Huron River. Researchers found that the river and its water trail were estimated to generate $53.5 million in economic output annually and that the river provided $150 million a year in economic value services through recreation, flood reduction, harboring rare organisms and more.
In 2023, Grand Valley State University also published an economic assessment of the White River. The river is located in west Michigan and runs through the Huron-Manistee National Forests. It’s fed by coldwater streams and can support salmon and trout.
The study found that nearly 70,000 visitors came to the White River in a year and that the river’s total economic impact was valued at $20 million.
“It’s a good number to know,” said John Stivers, secretary of the White River Watershed Partnership.
But he said that, when it comes to the White River, it’s a little complicated.
The river was designated as a Country-Scenic River by the Michigan Natural Resources Commission in 1975. Development on certain stretches need to go through a Natural Rivers Zoning Review Board, he said, and the river is further protected because it runs through national forest land.
Stivers said some people see the White River as a secret and they want to keep it that way.
“There are a lot of people that love it the way it is and aren’t really too interested in turning it into a high economic engine,” he said. “It’s a balance.”
New Development Plans Proposed for Vacant Woodbridge Site
By Greg Chandler
Zeeland Record
More than a year after the Zeeland Township Board approved a planned unit development rezoning for a 13.4-acre site at the northeast corner of Woodbridge Street and 96th Avenue, a new proposal for building homes on the site is being presented to township planners.
And the Planning Commission says that means it’s back to square one.
Commissioners on Oct. 13 unanimously determined that the new development proposal presented by Bosgraaf Homes represents “a major amendment” to the previously-approved PUD, and that the developer will have to go through a new PUD rezoning process to get it approved. Commissioners also said in their motion that they want all the dwelling units on the site to be single-family homes.
The Township Board on Sept. 2, 2025 unanimously approved rezoning the property at 9501 Woodbridge St. from R-1 rural residential to R-2 medium density planned unit development. The property is owned by Woodbridge Estates Zeeland LLC, which acquired the land from the Staat Trust in October 2024 for $1.05 million.
Forty-one housing units were proposed – 29 single-family homes and six duplexes – under the original proposal for the Woodbridge Flats project. In addition, four acres were to be set aside as open space. The developer was given two years to submit a site plan for the project, but none has been received to date, Township Zoning Administrator Lori Castello said.
The proposal generated opposition from neighbors who expressed objections ranging from increased traffic to impact on property values.
Bosgraaf presented three project concepts earlier this month to Castello and Township Interim Manager Howard Fink – all much less dense and with larger lot sizes than the Woodbridge Flats plan.
According to township documents, two of the three concepts included six duplexes, with 16 or 17 single-family homes. The township’s residential PUD ordinance allows up to 30 percent of a development to be two-family or multi-family residential.
“We informed the developer that we felt as though the best set of plans was going to be all single-family,” Fink said.
The third concept called for 19 single-family homes with no duplexes, according to township documents.
“The trade-off for that is that there are less amenities and open space … Usually, a reduction in units in itself is not a reason for a major amendment, but because we changed open space, we changed the overall layout, it’s quite significantly different of a plan than what was previously approved,” Castello said. “It is easier to start over than it is to go through all of the amendments (that would be needed).”
Castello also recommended restarting the process because of the significant community input the township received on the previous application.
“I think it’s best to err on the side of caution and to make sure that it’s very transparent, and all the residents can have full review, as well as the Planning Commission as we go through this,” she said.
Fink supported restarting the process since it involves a different developer than Woodbridge Flats. He said Bosgraaf intends to purchase the property.
“It’s really a completely new plan. Whatever the issues were (with the previous proposal), there may be those issues, but there may be new issues … Any conditions that you placed on the previous developer, those are all going to have to be redone as a completely new PUD,” Fink said.
No one from Bosgraaf was present at the Oct. 13 meeting. More details on the new development proposal are expected to be presented when commissioners meet Nov. 10.
Zeeland Record
More than a year after the Zeeland Township Board approved a planned unit development rezoning for a 13.4-acre site at the northeast corner of Woodbridge Street and 96th Avenue, a new proposal for building homes on the site is being presented to township planners.
And the Planning Commission says that means it’s back to square one.
Commissioners on Oct. 13 unanimously determined that the new development proposal presented by Bosgraaf Homes represents “a major amendment” to the previously-approved PUD, and that the developer will have to go through a new PUD rezoning process to get it approved. Commissioners also said in their motion that they want all the dwelling units on the site to be single-family homes.
The Township Board on Sept. 2, 2025 unanimously approved rezoning the property at 9501 Woodbridge St. from R-1 rural residential to R-2 medium density planned unit development. The property is owned by Woodbridge Estates Zeeland LLC, which acquired the land from the Staat Trust in October 2024 for $1.05 million.
Forty-one housing units were proposed – 29 single-family homes and six duplexes – under the original proposal for the Woodbridge Flats project. In addition, four acres were to be set aside as open space. The developer was given two years to submit a site plan for the project, but none has been received to date, Township Zoning Administrator Lori Castello said.
The proposal generated opposition from neighbors who expressed objections ranging from increased traffic to impact on property values.
Bosgraaf presented three project concepts earlier this month to Castello and Township Interim Manager Howard Fink – all much less dense and with larger lot sizes than the Woodbridge Flats plan.
According to township documents, two of the three concepts included six duplexes, with 16 or 17 single-family homes. The township’s residential PUD ordinance allows up to 30 percent of a development to be two-family or multi-family residential.
“We informed the developer that we felt as though the best set of plans was going to be all single-family,” Fink said.
The third concept called for 19 single-family homes with no duplexes, according to township documents.
“The trade-off for that is that there are less amenities and open space … Usually, a reduction in units in itself is not a reason for a major amendment, but because we changed open space, we changed the overall layout, it’s quite significantly different of a plan than what was previously approved,” Castello said. “It is easier to start over than it is to go through all of the amendments (that would be needed).”
Castello also recommended restarting the process because of the significant community input the township received on the previous application.
“I think it’s best to err on the side of caution and to make sure that it’s very transparent, and all the residents can have full review, as well as the Planning Commission as we go through this,” she said.
Fink supported restarting the process since it involves a different developer than Woodbridge Flats. He said Bosgraaf intends to purchase the property.
“It’s really a completely new plan. Whatever the issues were (with the previous proposal), there may be those issues, but there may be new issues … Any conditions that you placed on the previous developer, those are all going to have to be redone as a completely new PUD,” Fink said.
No one from Bosgraaf was present at the Oct. 13 meeting. More details on the new development proposal are expected to be presented when commissioners meet Nov. 10.
BPW Proposes Water Conservation Strategy
By Greg Chandler
Zeeland Record
The Zeeland Board of Public Works water operations manager is proposing ways to cut down on water use, particularly during the summer.
Jason Postma gave a presentation on the proposed water conservation strategy at the BPW Board of Commissioners meeting Oct. 13.
Postma said that peak demand drives the water system’s capacity and affects its reliability. On June 24 of last year, BPW customers used nearly 12.3 million gallons of water, more than twice the utility’s average daily usage of about 5.2 million gallons, he said.
Furthermore, the average daily water usage by BPW customers in the summer is 8.38 million gallons – 92 percent higher than during the winter, when that figure drops to 4.36 million gallons. The primary reason for the spike during the summer is for irrigation, Postma said.
“Reducing outdoor demand is Zeeland BPW’s greatest opportunity to lower peak demand while preserving quality of life,” Postma wrote in a graphic that was part of the presentation.
During the 2025-26 fiscal year, BPW purchased more than 2.19 billion gallons of water. Combined with related energy costs, that translates to a combined operating cost of more than $2.76 million, Postma said.
Ideas for reducing water usage include adopting “smart irrigation” methods that include watering schedules based on weather conditions, as well as the use of rain sensors. Other ideas include checking for leaks in the system and educating customers, Postma said.
A 10 percent reduction in usage could result in a savings of more than $260,000 in the wholesale cost of purchasing water. It also would translate into about 42 days’ worth of capacity being added into the system, Postma said.
Postma proposed a five-year program for implementing the water conservation program, beginning with strategy development by the BPW board and a public education program next year.
Zeeland Record
The Zeeland Board of Public Works water operations manager is proposing ways to cut down on water use, particularly during the summer.
Jason Postma gave a presentation on the proposed water conservation strategy at the BPW Board of Commissioners meeting Oct. 13.
Postma said that peak demand drives the water system’s capacity and affects its reliability. On June 24 of last year, BPW customers used nearly 12.3 million gallons of water, more than twice the utility’s average daily usage of about 5.2 million gallons, he said.
Furthermore, the average daily water usage by BPW customers in the summer is 8.38 million gallons – 92 percent higher than during the winter, when that figure drops to 4.36 million gallons. The primary reason for the spike during the summer is for irrigation, Postma said.
“Reducing outdoor demand is Zeeland BPW’s greatest opportunity to lower peak demand while preserving quality of life,” Postma wrote in a graphic that was part of the presentation.
During the 2025-26 fiscal year, BPW purchased more than 2.19 billion gallons of water. Combined with related energy costs, that translates to a combined operating cost of more than $2.76 million, Postma said.
Ideas for reducing water usage include adopting “smart irrigation” methods that include watering schedules based on weather conditions, as well as the use of rain sensors. Other ideas include checking for leaks in the system and educating customers, Postma said.
A 10 percent reduction in usage could result in a savings of more than $260,000 in the wholesale cost of purchasing water. It also would translate into about 42 days’ worth of capacity being added into the system, Postma said.
Postma proposed a five-year program for implementing the water conservation program, beginning with strategy development by the BPW board and a public education program next year.
