News Channel 10
RICHMOND, R.I. -- Richmond has instituted an unusual fee. If a home or business catches fire and it takes more than a set amount of water to put it out, the town may send the owner a bill.
"It's not that the town of Richmond is callous. It's that the town of Richmond looks closely at the cost of delivering services," Town Council President W. Michael Sullivan said.
When it comes to fighting fires in the Richmond Water District, 30,000 gallons of water is the cap. After that, the owner will be asked to help foot the bill.
"We're not denying them water. We're just asking for them to pay for the water they're using beyond the normal use for any house or dwelling in the town," Town Councilman Kevin Gosper said.
But town officials say by their calculations, most homeowners are not likely to get a bill.
"According to our local fire chief, (30,000 gallons) is enough to put out a fire when the average single family home is fully consumed," Sullivan said.
But while homeowners will probably not see a bill, some businesses might. Two big commercial fires this year took more than 1 million gallons of water to put out.
"We're trying to encourage these businesses to design appropriately to save this precious resource of water," Sullivan said.
RICHMOND, R.I. -- Richmond has instituted an unusual fee. If a home or business catches fire and it takes more than a set amount of water to put it out, the town may send the owner a bill.
"It's not that the town of Richmond is callous. It's that the town of Richmond looks closely at the cost of delivering services," Town Council President W. Michael Sullivan said.
When it comes to fighting fires in the Richmond Water District, 30,000 gallons of water is the cap. After that, the owner will be asked to help foot the bill.
"We're not denying them water. We're just asking for them to pay for the water they're using beyond the normal use for any house or dwelling in the town," Town Councilman Kevin Gosper said.
But town officials say by their calculations, most homeowners are not likely to get a bill.
"According to our local fire chief, (30,000 gallons) is enough to put out a fire when the average single family home is fully consumed," Sullivan said.
But while homeowners will probably not see a bill, some businesses might. Two big commercial fires this year took more than 1 million gallons of water to put out.
"We're trying to encourage these businesses to design appropriately to save this precious resource of water," Sullivan said.
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