Our City's Water Rates are ridiculous!

[I'm a red panda]

I live in a fairly low cost of living area. I work very hard to keep my electric and gas bills down through minimal consumption.  But my water bills are just out of control.

I got a bill this month for 1 unit (typically I use 2 units but every fourth month get a 1 unit bill, since the 2 is an estimate and I use between 1 and 2).  I've called and 1 is the minimum, so if I were to use less than 1 unit, I'd be charged for 1 anyway.  So reducing consumption does nothing to benefit me (I do try to do it anyway to benefit the planet.)

The bill is $46.27!

$13.45 for water, $25.46 for sewer, $2 for stormwater, $4.55 for recycling and $0.81 for tax. 
This is the absolute minimum anyone in my city could pay for water each month.

And the rates are set to rise.


Just needed to rant.

[rocketpj]

$13.45 for water actually looks pretty good from where I live.  Sewer, stormwater and recycling are no brainers (and a bargain at twice the price, really).

We have (apparently) 'the best water in the world', but it is not cheap.  We are metered, but our annual water bill comes out to about $450 (and we are definitely not lawn waterers, though we do water the garden).

[mm1970]

Ours are 2x that.  Fair bit is taxes.

Have to pay for infrastructure.  Maintenance, replacement, salaries, water treatment...

[MsPeacock]

My last water bill was $165! That was for roughly 2 months and a drastic increase from past bills. I have a teenager who has started taking excessively lengthy showers - but I am not sure that accounts for the entire increase. I do not water the lawn. I have low-water use appliances, etc.

[Otsog]

We (I work for the city) charge 9 cents a litre. Some places are in the thousands every month.

[CCCA]

We (I work for the city) charge 9 cents a litre. Some places are in the thousands every month.

Holy cow! 
Where is that? 
I live in CA and our marginal cost of water is around .3 cents per gallon (3.8 liters) so about 100x less than you.

(This could be why we're running out of water).

[I'm a red panda]

My last water bill was $165! That was for roughly 2 months and a drastic increase from past bills. I have a teenager who has started taking excessively lengthy showers - but I am not sure that accounts for the entire increase. I do not water the lawn. I have low-water use appliances, etc.

I'd be fine paying a lot for water if I used a lot of water- but this is the absolute MINIMUM bill possible if you live here. 

[geekette]

Small town in central NC, where they built a treatment plant to support a mill (which, of course, is no longer there).  FIL lived just outside the city limits, and the base rate - for water/sewer only - is $52.  That's before the cost of any water!

[Prairie Stash]

We (I work for the city) charge 9 cents a litre. Some places are in the thousands every month.

My water is 1.88 cents/L, my water is $35/month.  if I increased my water use 6 times and increased the rate to $0.09/l I would hit $1000/month, I'm not sure how I could use that much though. At those prices low flow shower heads, HE washers etc. can pay for themselves fast!

It's funny to think I pay more than California and we have a large river of fresh water flowing through my city.

[forummm]

I pay about $6/month for water. I think we use around 1700 gallons a month. But we have a septic tank, so no cost for sewer. I do have to pay to have the tank pumped, and bear some risk if it should have a problem though. Trash is billed through property tax.

[Mr Dorothy Dollar]

 $2/day for clean water delivered on demand to your house and the removal of waste water! How expensive! Is the $2/day worth it? After all you could get a bucket for $2 at Walmart and fetch all your water from a creek.

 If the water rates are so ridiculous than you should for sure have a non ridiculous means to pay less. You should disconnect from the city water and sewer and then do your non ridiculous water means. $2/day how ridiculous!

You are sounding like the old man that is in cartoons, "Get off my lawn!" Smile knowing you can get clean water for $2/day you made it.

[Argyle]

Our minimum charge is $15.31 for water.  We have septic so no sewer charge.  Also no recycling and garbage pickup is very expensive.  Have to drive 20 miles to take anything to recycling (which I do periodically when I'm visiting the next town over anyway).  I think your rates, like mine, are quite moderate.  Even luxurious.

[seattlecyclone]

This reminds me of a recent Seattle Times article about water prices. The cost you pay is pretty much all related to the cost of the infrastructure supporting your municipal water system. Seattle's rates are high because of recent infrastructure spending to put reservoirs underground due to a federal mandate, as well as a new sewage treatment facility. This stuff is good for the environment, but it isn't cheap.

[Metta]

According to my last utility bill (which includes many things other than water) my water costs $1.6460 / CCF (which is apparently equal to 28 liters). Our water bill last month averaged .15 CCFs/day and cost a total of $8.23 for the month. This weekend we planted a large garden patch as well as blueberry bushes, kiwi vines, and a pomegranate tree (in addition to the existing grape vines and peach and fig trees) so we will probably use more water through the summer.

Other monthly costs (other than water, gas and electricity):

Street Light Fee   $4.32
Sewer Charge   $8.48
Solid Waste Fee   $22.80 (includes curbside recycling)
Mosquito/Rodent Control Fee   $0.75
Storm Water Fee   $4.02

[Janie]

It sounds reasonable for clean, safe, convenient water.

Many wish they had access to the same
http://water.org/water-crisis/water-facts/water/
http://water.org/water-crisis/womens-crisis/

[Monkey Uncle]

I feel your pain, Iowajes.  Our last water/sewer bill was $50 for around 3,000 gallons of usage.  We live in a small town that is in the midst of the long, painful process of replacing all of its hundred year old infrastructure.  Rates have increased dramatically over the last several years, and they're set to go up even more as the town builds its new $22 million water treatment plant.  Current residents are paying for all the cheap water that past residents got over the last century while they were failing to maintain their deteriorating facilities.  Oh well, nothing I can do about it unless I want to move out of town and go on a well and septic system.

[I'm a red panda]

$2/day for clean water delivered on demand to your house and the removal of waste water!

It was about 25 cents a day the last place I lived. And my consumption was higher there.


Certainly, I'd pay 10x as much before I disconnected from the water system and collected rainwater (which I think is illegal, a certificate of occupancy depends on water and electricity- so this is basically a required tax.)

That other people in the world do not have clean water is really irrelevant to this rant.  There are many people in this world who $2 a day would be out of reach for them anyway.  That is a completely separate issue.

[CCCA]

According to my last utility bill (which includes many things other than water) my water costs $1.6460 / CCF (which is apparently equal to 28 liters).

1 CCF is 100 cubic feet of water which is 748 gallons or 2827 liters.   It's cheap!

[hybrid]

Iowajes, you are paying mostly for the infrastructure, not the actual water itself. Our water/sewer/recycling bill is about $35 a month. There are precious few optimizations in it. Meh.

If you really want to optimize, figure out how to use less HOT water. That's where a lot of your money is going.

[Rural]

Our total bill never reaches $20 a month unless we spring a leak, so I do understands the sorts of rates the OP is missing.


Of course, ours is water only; we're on septic and no municipal trash pickup available. We're actually quite lucky we can get county water as not all of our near neighbors can, and it's about 150-200 feet down to water from the house, so it would be an expensive well, or a lot of unsightly piping and pumping from the spring, otherwise.

[daverobev]

Ours is roughly $85 every other month. Most of that is the connection charge. Like others, I think it's perfectly reasonable..

[ChicagoGirl]

I pay $40/mo for 3500 gallons in a suburb of Chicago.

I know others in the nation will chime in with higher or lower rates, but maybe it's more of an optimization issue for the OP...they know they can decrease usage but won't see the benefit of the savings. 

OP, if you live in a low cost of living area you are probably seeing benefits in other areas of your budget so not to worry. It just seems extreme since you are comparing to your previous living location. Try a quick google search of average water rates across the nation, it will make you feel better.

[Otsog]

We (I work for the city) charge 9 cents a litre. Some places are in the thousands every month.

My water is 1.88 cents/L, my water is $35/month.  if I increased my water use 6 times and increased the rate to $0.09/l I would hit $1000/month, I'm not sure how I could use that much though. At those prices low flow shower heads, HE washers etc. can pay for themselves fast!

It's funny to think I pay more than California and we have a large river of fresh water flowing through my city.

The highest usage homes are 23-25k Litres per month. I have absolutely no idea how they go through that much water. 

[Otsog]

We (I work for the city) charge 9 cents a litre. Some places are in the thousands every month.

Holy cow! 
Where is that? 
I live in CA and our marginal cost of water is around .3 cents per gallon (3.8 liters) so about 100x less than you.

(This could be why we're running out of water).

A rural Arctic community.  We truck in water and truck out waste. 

We only have the trucked in water metered so the water price includes free waste removal.

[CCCA]

We (I work for the city) charge 9 cents a litre. Some places are in the thousands every month.

Holy cow! 
Where is that? 
I live in CA and our marginal cost of water is around .3 cents per gallon (3.8 liters) so about 100x less than you.

(This could be why we're running out of water).

A rural Arctic community.  We truck in water and truck out waste. 

We only have the trucked in water metered so the water price includes free waste removal.

Well that makes more sense since it has to be trucked in.  We're lucky to have cheap water but unfortunately lots of people waste water if it's too cheap.  And since I live in California, it's even more of a problem right now.

Seriously our water district penalizes households that use over 1000 gallons per day!  That seems like an insane amount of water. Our household of 4 uses about 60-80 gallons per day.

[NICE!]

I live in CA and our marginal cost of water is around .3 cents per gallon (3.8 liters) so about 100x less than you.

(This could be why we're running out of water).

It has way more to do with agricultural use but you're right, water is not priced properly in the West. It should be way more expensive than it is.

[agent_clone]

Hmm, for an international perspective, looking at my last water bill, for 3 months, Sewerage Supply was $AU126.36 ( $505.41 p.a.), Water supply, $AU25.64 ($102.56 p.a.), $AU2.64 per kL, however this appears to be dependent on usage, and is $5.29 per kL after .548kL usage per day according to the appropriate website.

[sarah8001]

I live in a fairly low cost of living area. I work very hard to keep my electric and gas bills down through minimal consumption.  But my water bills are just out of control.

I got a bill this month for 1 unit (typically I use 2 units but every fourth month get a 1 unit bill, since the 2 is an estimate and I use between 1 and 2).  I've called and 1 is the minimum, so if I were to use less than 1 unit, I'd be charged for 1 anyway.  So reducing consumption does nothing to benefit me (I do try to do it anyway to benefit the planet.)

The bill is $46.27!

$13.45 for water, $25.46 for sewer, $2 for stormwater, $4.55 for recycling and $0.81 for tax. 
This is the absolute minimum anyone in my city could pay for water each month.

And the rates are set to rise.


Just needed to rant.

Although I feel your need to rant, you are actually lower than many places. My water/sewer/garbage/electricity bill is about 400 every two months. About 200 of that is not based on usage, so I'm roughly double you. Stormwater is 94 every two months, for instance.  I just figure that it's the price I pay for living within walking distance of a beautiful natural resource like Puget Sound and gladly pay the amount, knowing that waste and stormwater management systems help protect the Sound from gross contamination.
I really do think this is one of those times when my life is better because I look at it from the perspective of "Look at all the great stuff I get for 200 a month!" instead of "Damn, I can't believe I have to pay 200 a month!" It's not like I can opt out of paying it, like you mentioned. Might as well have a good attitude about it.

[NICE!]

I live in a fairly low cost of living area. I work very hard to keep my electric and gas bills down through minimal consumption.  But my water bills are just out of control.

I got a bill this month for 1 unit (typically I use 2 units but every fourth month get a 1 unit bill, since the 2 is an estimate and I use between 1 and 2).  I've called and 1 is the minimum, so if I were to use less than 1 unit, I'd be charged for 1 anyway.  So reducing consumption does nothing to benefit me (I do try to do it anyway to benefit the planet.)

The bill is $46.27!

$13.45 for water, $25.46 for sewer, $2 for stormwater, $4.55 for recycling and $0.81 for tax. 
This is the absolute minimum anyone in my city could pay for water each month.

And the rates are set to rise.


Just needed to rant.

Although I feel your need to rant, you are actually lower than many places. My water/sewer/garbage/electricity bill is about 400 every two months. About 200 of that is not based on usage, so I'm roughly double you. Stormwater is 94 every two months, for instance.  I just figure that it's the price I pay for living within walking distance of a beautiful natural resource like Puget Sound and gladly pay the amount, knowing that waste and stormwater management systems help protect the Sound from gross contamination.
I really do think this is one of those times when my life is better because I look at it from the perspective of "Look at all the great stuff I get for 200 a month!" instead of "Damn, I can't believe I have to pay 200 a month!" It's not like I can opt out of paying it, like you mentioned. Might as well have a good attitude about it.

Amen. I'm of the opinion that rates are often too low. People are too insulated from the true cost of our shared resources.

[MandyM]

This is sewer rates and slightly outdated...but you get the point. (1000 cubic feet is generally equal to a "unit"). The OP's $25 for sewer would chart on the far left. (this is from a publication that was discussing Huntsville, AL).

[I'm a red panda]

This is sewer rates and slightly outdated...but you get the point. (1000 cubic feet is generally equal to a "unit"). The OP's $25 for sewer would chart on the far left. (this is from a publication that was discussing Huntsville, AL).

So basically the other communities around here are getting a freaking deal. 

[belgiandude]

I moved countries, but in my previous residence we used to pay about 3.9 euro per cubic meter (or about USD 0.12 per cubic feet).

[MandyM]

This is sewer rates and slightly outdated...but you get the point. (1000 cubic feet is generally equal to a "unit"). The OP's $25 for sewer would chart on the far left. (this is from a publication that was discussing Huntsville, AL).

So basically the other communities around here are getting a freaking deal.

If you mean "other communities" to include yourself, then yes.

[NICE!]

This is sewer rates and slightly outdated...but you get the point. (1000 cubic feet is generally equal to a "unit"). The OP's $25 for sewer would chart on the far left. (this is from a publication that was discussing Huntsville, AL).

I see a lot of low tax areas on the right - is this one of the ways they make up for lower taxes? Or is it just that Atlanta really needs to charge a ton for sewage?

[MandyM]

Technically, water money is supposed to support water and sewer money for sewer. But its never quite that simple - plenty of utility revenue gets pushed into the general fund of the municipality.

That being said, places like Atlanta will have higher operating and maintenance costs than other areas. Urban areas will have higher construction costs for replacement projects - sometimes substantially higher. They will also have to rely more on increased technology due to the complexity of their system. Also, large cities are the first places that new EPA regulations are enforced, so their rates tend to trend up sooner.

[I'm a red panda]

This is sewer rates and slightly outdated...but you get the point. (1000 cubic feet is generally equal to a "unit"). The OP's $25 for sewer would chart on the far left. (this is from a publication that was discussing Huntsville, AL).

So basically the other communities around here are getting a freaking deal.

If you mean "other communities" to include yourself, then yes.

Well, maybe compared to you.  But compared to me- the communities near me with 1/4 and 1/6 the rates are getting an incredible deal.

[NICE!]

Technically, water money is supposed to support water and sewer money for sewer. But its never quite that simple - plenty of utility revenue gets pushed into the general fund of the municipality.

That being said, places like Atlanta will have higher operating and maintenance costs than other areas. Urban areas will have higher construction costs for replacement projects - sometimes substantially higher. They will also have to rely more on increased technology due to the complexity of their system. Also, large cities are the first places that new EPA regulations are enforced, so their rates tend to trend up sooner.

Got it, but it is also higher than other big cities.

I mean San Antonio isn't small or dense and it is on the far left. Texas also has huge water issues. What gives?

[MandalayVA]

The city of Richmond bundles water and gas.  Last month's bill was roughly $178, most of it taxes and city charges.  We're only two people, we don't use that much.  I'd feel better if I could actually see my tax dollars at work, but Richmond's infrastructure is notoriously horrible.

[soccerluvof4]

we pay 360$ on ave every Quarter for simply water alone.

[MandyM]

Technically, water money is supposed to support water and sewer money for sewer. But its never quite that simple - plenty of utility revenue gets pushed into the general fund of the municipality.

That being said, places like Atlanta will have higher operating and maintenance costs than other areas. Urban areas will have higher construction costs for replacement projects - sometimes substantially higher. They will also have to rely more on increased technology due to the complexity of their system. Also, large cities are the first places that new EPA regulations are enforced, so their rates tend to trend up sooner.

Got it, but it is also higher than other big cities.

I mean San Antonio isn't small or dense and it is on the far left. Texas also has huge water issues. What gives?

Its a complicated question. My first thought though is that Atlanta's core system is older and falling apart. They likely have sections that are 60-80+ years old that they are trying to rehab or replace.

The other possibility is that San Antonio is ignoring problems that are brewing and headed for a large increase at some point. It is hard to get increases approved due to politic issues. The problems have to be fairly bad and noticeable to the public before city councils are comfortable voting for a rate increase. Atlanta could be on the other side of it - things got really bad and now they are playing catch up.

Plus, dense populations definitely have economies from having less pipe per household, but it makes replacements/upgrades more expensive. Water, sewer, storm, gas, sometimes power and cable are buried...you start running out of room in dense areas.

[NICE!]

Thank you, that was very informative. Do you work in this field, MandyM?

[Sibley]

From memory: There's a community in California which has delayed building a wastewater treatment plant for about 50 years. They've been dumping raw sewage in the local waterways/ocean in varying amounts, and have been getting fined increasing amounts over the years. The regulatory agency laid down an ultimatum several years ago - build the plant, or the entire sewer system would be shut down and demolished. Apparently, it was politically easier to get approval to build the new plant than it was to get everyone to move to septic. So now, they're spending about $40 million more to build it then they would have if they had done it when they first needed it. The total fines they've paid are a significant portion of what it'll take to build the plant.

Not that big of a community either. Just dumb.

[KCM5]

Huh - I read your initial post and thought - that's almost exactly what my bill is. But then I realized we're in similar areas (I live in Des Moines).

Did rates jump to pay for infrastructure after the city flooded?

I agree that it's hard to stomach not being able to reduce your use any further.

[NICE!]

They've been dumping raw sewage in the local waterways/ocean in varying amounts, and have been getting fined increasing amounts over the years.

How in the world did they get away with this? Very sad.

[KCM5]

You'd be surprised.

They've been dumping raw sewage in the local waterways/ocean in varying amounts, and have been getting fined increasing amounts over the years.

How in the world did they get away with this? Very sad.
[/quote]

You'd be surprised to be on the receiving end of our regulatory agency's press releases during certain times of the year. Wastewater releases are not uncommon - mostly due to failing infrastructure.

[Clever Name]

Man, I can't imagine paying some of those rates. I currently pay $1.78/ccf (100 cubic feet or 748 gallons) for water and $3.16/ccf for sewer (sewage is not actually metered, but they assume you have to dispose of every gallon you consume). There is also a fixed stormwater fee of $2.70/month and a few other small fees/taxes tacked on. I typically use about 3-4 ccf and my average bill is roughly $25-30/month. I could get it significantly lower if I really wanted to, but I'm fine with that amount.

To be fair, we do get ~50 inches of rain here so water is not exactly scarce.

[dycker1978]

Wow... you have it cheap there.. City Min here is $56.32 that includes no usage.  Then we get billed $1.47/m3(220 galons) and the same for sewer.  Sewer is not metered, but charged at 82% of the water usage.

[Bob W]

The cost of water in cities around here is similar.  And we live in the Ozarks where water is so plentiful it just bubbles out of the ground.

My personal deal is a well and septic set up so my bill is zero on the surface.   But I think my real cost would be somewhere closer to $100 per month if I figure in pumping septic every other year,  replacing well pump every 10 years and a possible septic field rework every 12-15 years or so.

So yeah,  maybe $50 seems expensive but I'm guessing it is a bargain compared to my "free" water.

Someday I hope to develop a water recycling system that saves all the grey water while using a composter for the black water.   So if I live in the city I could save $50 a month and if I live in the country I can forgo the $7,000 well drilling costs or at least not use an existing well to the extent that the pump never needs replacing.  It rains enough around here that a person could collect enough water without much need for recycling the grey water.  So it is more of a filtering, treatment and storage issue.     Takes a lot of equipment to store a couple of thousand gallons of water. 

Be sure to set your hot water heater to the lowest setting and wrap it in R19.  You can save big bucks doing this.   

[MandyM]

Thank you, that was very informative. Do you work in this field, MandyM?

I do. Mostly on the sewer side, but water as well. I would theorize that it is even harder to get sewer rates approved vs water. People see the need for water, but don't think twice about what goes down their drains.

They've been dumping raw sewage in the local waterways/ocean in varying amounts, and have been getting fined increasing amounts over the years.

How in the world did they get away with this? Very sad.

You'd be surprised to be on the receiving end of our regulatory agency's press releases during certain times of the year. Wastewater releases are not uncommon - mostly due to failing infrastructure.
[/quote]

Like KCM5 noted, releases are not uncommon. But a straight pipe to an outfall is very uncommon. Their small size played a large role in the length of time it was allowed. Regulators focus on the big fish first, then trickle down to smaller communities.

[OldPro]

Rates for water are too low in N. America.  That's one of the  reasons why the USA is running short of water. 
https://www.google.ca/#q=north+america+water+shortage

Take a look at the consumption differences here:
http://www.data360.org/temp/dsg757_500_350.jpg