CARY – Lake Killarney residents expected to pay higher water rates this summer, but they didn’t count on a drought and the hottest July on record.

“People have been watering lawns, filling up pools, letting kids run through sprinklers,” Lake Killarney Home Owners Association President Barbara Miller said. “There is a lot of anger.”

In its first rate increase since 1995 for 346 McHenry County customers, Killarney Water Co.’s monthly bill for users of 4,578 gallons went to $43.59 a month from $15.48 – an increase of 181.6 percent. The increase went into effect in June.