If you need evidence that consumers are spoiled, look no farther than your car's cup holder. Do you  see a bottle of water? Did you pay a dollar for it? More?

Compared with Dasani or Aquafina, municipal water is an amazing bargain. Pure, plentiful H20, piped cheaply to every home, is one of the public sector's great success stories.

The Coos Bay-North Bend Water Board is taking some prudent steps to maintain that success story in the Bay Area. The existing water plant meets current needs, but a thirsty August pushes the limit.  An upgrade is necessary.

The Water Board has an advantage over many local agencies. Unlike, say, public schools, the Water Board can finance a project without asking voters for a tax increase. It simply raises rates and channels the extra revenue into the project. No need for long-term debt.

(If that seems unfair, consider the consequences of failure. A crowded or rundown school is a shame. Insufficient or unsafe water is a menace.)

Water Board manager Rob Schab and his team deserve credit for finagling a nearly painless financing plan for their $10.5 million project. They already have set aside $1 million in reserves. They'll borrow the rest, to be repaid swiftly with the proceeds from increased fees.

Even painless public money needs respectful stewardship. Admirably, the fee increases won't disappear into routine expenses. Schab says the agency is holding its operating budget flat while pumping the new money into capital improvements.

The higher fees will cost an average household $2 a month. To cover that cost, look at your cup holder again. When that plastic bottle runs dry, just carry it into the house, place it under the tap, and taste the benefits of timely public investment.