Eventually the increase must go into effect, though, as the system is in decay. That there will be a rate increase before the high-demand ends arrives is almost a certainty. As inconvenient as a higher water bill will be, an interruption of service due to old pipes breaking would be worse. Also very bad would be a geyser erupting in a street due to a broken water main, and that could happen. Many of the pipes around here are well over half a century old.
Although the rain has stopped for now, I believe the sky is still cloudy. The lack of moonlight makes it difficult to tell how dense the clouds are, but the absence of stars in the sky indicates that they are thick enough to bring more rain. I'd enjoy listening to it, so I am hoping for at least a bit more. The rose bushes could use some more water to feed their growth spurt. There's only one blossom so far, and that one small, and only a few unopened buds, but the bushes have been sprouting new growth at such a rate that it won't be long before there is a profusion of new flowers. I expect that it won't be until the next warm spell, though and if the forecast is accurate that won't be for at least ten more days.
The first warm days in March can be very warm indeed, so I might be sitting on the porch with a glass of iced tea far into the evening just a couple of weeks hence. Or there might be snow. One never knows around here. I've seen snow fall on the first day of April, so there is hope yet. But tonight I'm just going to enjoy the fresh scent of the dampened grass. No point in missing the present because you're thinking about the unpredictable future.