New *&#$%(& Water Rates

[Deltona_Dave]

Here in Deltona, FL, the city water rates are getting ridiculous.
A year ago, I could irrigate my lawn on the 2 days allowed, and my water bill was 25 dollars. I am on septic, so no sewer charges.

Now my bill is over 100 a month. Average usage is 30K gallons, when irrigating during summer. They have some goofy scale, if you use up to 6K, one rate, 18K another rate, then after 18K, bend over as we charge the same as gasoline!

I have 14 year old daughter that takes 30-45 minute showers, but that will stop. I have cut back to 1 day a week watering also.

This sucks.

dave

 

[CharlieJ]

You are using city water to water your grass? Ever thought about having a well drilled for your irrigation purposes? It would drastically cut down your water usage.

 

[SrDriver]

In many parts of Florida the water table is not all that far down and you can drive a spike well by hand. You can find some info on the internet about doing it.

We lived in Florida at one time and did that not only for lawn use but also for our water supply.

What the city don't know will not hurt them.

 

[Deltona_Dave]

I am lake front, but the level of the lake changes drastically through the year. I thought about putting a pump in the lake, but the pipe would have to be 1/2 mile long (my lake is a control lake for the chain).

I would like to drop a well in, but I don't like the thought of sulphur water or Iron stains on the house.

For now, I have just shut off the sprinklers, to see how that changes the bill.

I can hit water at 6 feet (I have a pool 6 ft. deep and they hit water digging it).

Dave

 

[meangreen01]

Check your bill closely for other non-water related fees.

The [censored] politicians in my parts were getting tossed out of office because of constantly increasing property tax rates to fund basic services like collecting garbage, plowing snow, streetlight maint, etc. So, now whenever they need to raise taxes to further fund that kind of stuff they assess a fee on my water bill. In essence hiding the tax increase as a non-optional fee.

The actual usage of water on my water bill is around $60. $90 is added on for the fees. Total $150. No joke! Scoundrels!!

 

[40Deluxe]

Here in e.central kansas water,sewer,garbage will run around 90.00 month w/ 6k gal. usage

 

[meangreen01]

This just started happening up here within the last 5 yrs. I think it's a shady tactic. Many people don't pay attention to the line item charges on their bills(at their own peril), they just go into the pile o' bills that need to be paid and then just pay them.

It's just undeniably a sneaky tactic. Around here it's now happening to phone/cable bills, too. You'd think these private corp's would raise a stink about becoming a revenue collection agency for the gov't as their customers are complaining about rising bills.

A water bill should be a bill for water useage. Same for phone/cable.

Sorry if pushing no politics rule....

 

[PandaBear]

Check for leak as well. I had an inlet leak that didn't reveal itself until the rain season (water coming out of the ground), and my bill during the leak was 2x the original (base line).

 

[Deltona_Dave]

I watch my meter from time to time. It has a slow leak indicator and it does not move when everything is off.

Just the politicians getting more money with their "tiered" usage. Before it was just a flat rate of about $1.25 per thousand used.

Now the quality has gone downhill. Chlorine smell is higher, if I fill a gallon jug, it will turn green in a few days with algae.

Dave

 

[HTSS_TR]

30K gallons of water a month is about my family of 4 uses in 10 months. My water cost less than $10/mo (for water only) plus they charge water meter plus sewer and then tax and misc fees, makes the total about $35-40/mo. The highest cost is sewer at $18/mo

 

[Gary Allan]

My boro has long ago figured out that water & sewer is the biggest revenue generator for the city. Whatever you're billed in water, your waste treatment fee is about 300% of that. The property taxes are nothing compared to the W&S fees.


Dave: Divide your waste water into that requiring a sanitary discharge and just plain grey water. Run the showers/laundry/sinks out a different door to a shallow drain field in the yard. I'd be using that pond with a sump pump to irrigate that close to the table. with proper spacing and enough capacity, it should work. Have all the downspouts terminate at a shallow pipe that feeds the pond ...

 

[PandaBear]

My home (family of 2 with a small lawn) uses on average 10 CCF or 9000 gallon every 2 month. 30k gallon a month is a lot.

Maybe you should really dig a well and use them partially for the irrigation away from your house. Putting down a tube into the municipal reservoir may be considered stealing, I wouldn't do it.

 

[crinkles]

I pay about $30 per month but only for water usage, not connection o other rates. the real estate has forgotten to send us the water bill since christmas. should i remind them?

we use an average of 140 litres per person per day (36 gallons per person per day)

 

[Pop_Rivit]

We use less than 50 gallons (average) per day.

We're usually less than 2000 gallons per month.

That comes in at the minimum, and only costs us $20/month. We're on our own septic system so there are no sewage charges. That includes watering the garden/grapes/flowers during dry spells.

How does anyone use 30K per month?

 

[Silk]

We have no water meters,water is free,we just get charged a flat rate to run the system.If you mentioned watering the lawn here you would get blank stares,we get that done for free too....by higher powers.But now there is more housing they have realised they are missing out - from now on all new houses will need a meter at the gate.But they can't use it to charge people as the rest of us don't have meters...to retro fit meters to all house holds is too big and expensive a task.

Living with a rain tank and septic system is a good way to learn about water usage...in and out.Being brought up by parents who spent their younger years on tank water,and then doing it myself has made us very frugal with water.I don't have a water meter to check,but doubt if we would use even half that of a city dweller.

 

[CharlieJ]

He must live in a mansion and has a huge lawn to water.

 

[Gary Allan]

Before water reduction flush toilets and restricted showers, the average here was something like 100gal/person/day. It's probably down around 70gall/person/day.

 

[Virtuoso]

We avg about 9-11k/gal per month. This last bill was for 10,000 and was $20 for water and $59.40 for sewer. Sewer rates just went up this month.. I guess we need a new treatment plant. Oh well, gotta [censored] sometime.

 

[eljefino]

You may or may not be able to get an "agricultural use" meter for your lawn, you have to swear it's not going to end up in the sewer.

Consider a front loading washer, they use like 80% less water and are only a few hundred bux used. More energy efficient, less soap too.

 

[Liquid_Turbo]

Having copious amounts of water available is not a right, but a privilege.

People in this day and age take 40min showers?!