Conservation Charge: If the amount of water a customer uses from January through December exceeds the yield of the water rights provided to ELCO at the time of construction, a conservation charge is imposed.  The conservation charge increases the water rate by an additional $5.50 per 1,000 gallons. The amount of water each customer is allowed to use before the imposition of the conservation charge is called their “Annual Allotment.”  The annual allotment for single-family customers is based on their lot size.