There is turmoil in the community of Lohn in the canton of Schaffhausen. The reason: In the future, wage earners will have to pay the most for their water by far. The fee will increase from a moderate CHF 1.50 per cubic meter to a whopping CHF 3.20 per cubic meter. The Swiss average is 2 francs.
The average water consumption of Mr. and Mrs. Swiss is 170 liters per day. A family of four uses an average of 248,200 liters of water per year. With the new water fees in Lohner, around 800 francs would be due instead of 370 francs.
The Reiat Water Supply (RWV) is responsible for the water supply in Lohn. The RWV also regulates the water in the neighboring communities of Stetten and Büttenhardt.
In December 2021, the delegates’ meeting of the RWV approved its budget for 2022. As a rule, the population nods politely to the annual budget. But not this time. Lohner Georg Freivogel (70) even held the referendum once morest the budget. Now the population will be asked to vote on June 26th.
380,000 francs in additional costs per year due to depreciation
The big question, however, is why water prices in Lohn might soon go through the roof. For the Lohner municipal council and the RWV there are several reasons for this. On the one hand, there is the new harmonized accounting model for the public sector, HRM 2. This is to be used as a minimum standard for all cantons and municipalities and now, according to the RWV, requires the depreciation of their systems, which results in additional costs of CHF 380,000 per year.
In addition, the financing of the RWV will also change as a result of the HRM2. «The water supply has so far been cross-subsidized by all three communities. That is no longer legal, »writes the municipal council in the voting booklet. This means that the RWV will have to pay for its own funds in the future.
Another reason for the massive fee increase is that the RWV is planning three infrastructure projects in Lohn. Pensioner Freivogel sees the reference to the HRM 2 and the depreciation as just a pretext. According to the 2020 bill, the systems have all been paid off. “It is therefore strange that you now have to make new write-offs in order to finance any projects in the future for which there are no concrete plans,” says Freivogel. In his opinion, the budget was decided without considering the consequences.
Andreas Ehrat, the mayor of Lohn and a board member of the RWV, does not understand Freivogel’s objections. “I find it tragic that such a huge clamor is being made regarding a basic supply like water,” he says to Blick. For him, the fee increase is justified. “You also have to remember that we have to pump our water up from a lower valley first.” That makes things even more expensive. “The additional costs have already been saved if you eat out less once a year.”
“I find such a price increase scandalous”
Niklaus Bättig (70) sees things differently. He too is outraged by the rising water prices in Lohner. “I find it scandalous that the RWV announced such a high price increase!” He would have found it much better if the fees had been gradually increased.
If Bättig pays around 75 francs to fill his pool today, it might soon be 160 francs. “But that won’t stop me from filling the pool,” says Bättig. For him it is clear that the RWV will go swimming with the vote on Sunday with the fee increase.
