The revenue from this rate hike will fund more than $350 million in improvements to the city’s water infrastructure. Edmond has already started on some of those projects, including new water towers, a new intake tunnel at Lake Arcadia, and a water plant expansion.

“Outdoor water use is our primary driver for all these huge improvements that we're doing,” said Edmond water utility director Kris Neifing. “We have no problem delivering that 8 million gallons a day during the winter. It’s the 22-25 million gallon demand during the summer months.”

The base charge for Edmond drinking water will jump about 80 cents in November. Then it will increase by about 50 cents every year through 2026. The base charge for sewage will follow a similar scheme.