Rant about my water bill:

[Gavin Allan]

My water and sewer bill last month was $149.



Electric and natural gas was $243.



Trash is $14 /month.

 

[Richard L]

Gavin,

Wow, your water and sewer bills are much higher than I would expect. For those prices I hope your water tastes good and your sewer water is deodorized and perfumed...:grin:



...Rich

 

[Gavin Allan]

Water comes from Missouri River and has already been "used" by people in towns upstream several times.



Sewage gets pumped back into the Missouri River (a half mile downstream of the water intake) so that the people downstream can reuse it again several more times before it gets to New Orleans.

 

[David Ponder]

Gavin, I'm in Kansas City.. Am I one or two people to use the water before you? :haveabeer:

 

[Thomas Rogers]

Just paid my quarterly water/sewer bill, which is based on metered usage. $247.



The water is metered, and the sewage is assumed to be a ratio of the water (what goes out is a fraction of what comes in....we take away, and we giveth).



TJR

 

[Bill V]

TJR, I remember reading in a recent issue of The Family Handyman that some people in your situation (sewer charges based on water consumption) are having success fighting such charges. Their position--water used for things like lawn irrigation is not going into the sewer system, and therefore you shouldn't be paying for the sewer treatment of that water. This is especially the case if the water consumption shows seasonal fluctuation--higher in summer irrigation season, lower in winter dormancy season. If you do lawn watering (or other significant non-sewer water consumption--swimming pools, three-times-a-day Sport Trac washes, etc.), and if the sewer charge is a significant portion of your bill, it may be worth discussing with the utility administrators.

 

[Jimmy Lavoie]

 

[Thomas Rogers]

Bill V,



I hear you. We have to top off a pool, an inch or two a week in this hot weather. But the sewer charges are like 1/10th the water charges for us, so it's not a huge deal.



If they were more 50:50 I would complain.



TJR

 

[Richard L]

TJR,

My water bill includes sewer and water, and the sewer charge is about half of what the water bill is... I think that is way too much.



...Rich

 

[Thomas Rogers]

RichardL said:

My water bill includes sewer and water, and the sewer charge is about half of what the water bill is... I think that is way too much.

Yeah, I hear you. I'd complain about my sewage fees, but I'm afraid the township would simply return what I gave them if I don't like the fee.



TJR