The Inverness Public Utility District approved a 15 percent water rate increase last week to help the district replace two critical yet badly leaking tanks on the Inverness mesa, called the Tenney tanks. Customers were very supportive on the street, board president Ken Emanuels said. “I think people understood that our water tanks, which are redwood and aging, have to be replaced,” he said. “The danger of these tanks, it has gone on too long.” To help pay for the $800,000 project, the district raised the basic water charge from $121 to $146 on a bimonthly bill. Usage rates went up variably, too, except for customers using less than 50 gallons per day; they now pay only the $146 basic charge. The new structure creates more assured revenue that doesn’t fluctuate depending on weather and allows the district to collect more money from empty homes.