Maybe I was oblivious before or just didn't realize... but I just found out that we have a MINIMUM water/sewer bill......What the?  Not only that, but it's $40.76...without tax.  That seems like a lot!  The kicker is...we were REQUIRED to hook up to the sewer even though we had a perfectly functioning and well-maintained septic system.  The sewer fee is $3 more a month per 1000 gallons than the water fee????    Basically I'm paying for 2000 gal. whether I use it or not.  That is 64 gal. a day.  With all of the stuff I'm doing to save water, it seemingly won't matter.  NOT FAIR!  I think they are on to us.............

Dear Crystola, THat's both bizarre & very bad indeed.  You're doing your bit for the environment by saving water anyway, look at it that way.  But to have to pay such big bucks (imagine the annual bill!) for something you don't even use is a usurious tax ....  Yours in Him, Deb

That's how I feel about it.  There's no way we use that much water and I couldn't figure out why the bill wasn't going down.  I guess now I know.  If they didn't force us to hook up to the sewer (they would have charged us the sewer usage even if we didn't hook up ) then our minimum bill would only be $12.26.  I feel seriously cheated.  We have a well on our property that we were going to put a pump on (not for drinking, just other stuff), but if our bill won't go down anyway, why spend the $$ on the pump?  I don't understand how they can legally do that.  I feel vicitimized.

Our rates are sky high here.  Monthly average year round is $87 for water/sewer/trash--and we conserve.  Neighbor complains at the bill of over $100 monthly they receive.  Amazing. We also have a min. charge but I don't know what it is.  

Most jurisdictions do have a minimum water/sewer bill for a good reason. It costs money to install and maintain that system, keep track of the accounting and send out bills, and to cut off service to those who don't pay. When the water/sewer system is installed, in many cases it was done because either wells became unreliable and/or septic systems were failing and creating a health hazard for everyone. So in the view of many people it is best for the community to have a publicly mainained water and sewer system. I'm not saying that this is "right" but that's the rationale. The kicker is that perhaps not everyone needed a new water/sewer system, or maybe it wasn't any specific septic system but collectively they were creating a health hazard.

I can definately see your point, Walt34, and I used to work for a municipality in the transportation division awhile back in Virginia, so I can also understand the need for continued maintenance on such systems.  I guess my problem is twofold:  1. should we have been made to abandon a perfectly working system or could they have simply approved it by inspection and left it in operation (offering a later option for connection for a fee) and 2. should we be required to pay excess fees on a system that we are not fully utilizing.  I would suspect that this would especially impact single individuals and families like mine that conserve or have secondary water sources (ie. wells, rain barrels, cisterns, etc.).  I guess it was just a shock because I was working so hard to conserve and there was no monetary benefit.  Although, in the interest of not being shallow, it was extremely satisfying to see the amount of water used in my household drop significantly simply for the benefits to the environment.  Just because we can consume something doesn't mean we should.  Upon further inspection, I guess the same could be said of our garbage collection.  I have reduced our trash output to one 13-gallon bag a week for a family of four, but I still pay the same fee as my neighbor who sometimes has as many as six cans at the curb.

I'm not sure about the health hazard for the community as a whole since I'm not aware of any problems near me.  We live in a significantly rural community with a lot of farm land, so it would not have been a case of a neighbors septic system impacting our property and vice versa, but I'm sure you are likely correct about the rationale.  I suspect that I would get explanations like you have presented if I would ask for the reasons.

I consider this a form of taxation in the guise of a monthly bill.  I imagine others would believe the same.  I suddenly feel like I have many hands in my pocket.....

Same for us.  Minimum monthly bill is right at $52 for water, sewer, and trash pickup.  We do have a choice of cancelling trash pickup ($14) but they city won't issue trash pickup permits to private contractors any more!  They will pickup one oversized pickup (furniture, appliance etc) per month.  More than that you are charged $35.  They do not pickup bagged lawn clippings, leaves or branches.  But they do have a place available for you to take them that you can use 2x a month.  Of course how you do that if all you have is a car is your problem!  We can't put out cans, trash MUST be in plastic or paper bags--and must be on the curb by 7 a.m. If a dog or the juveniles walking to school tear it up, that's your problem.

And to topit all off, I had an extra $8 on my bill last month as a "charge off".   It seems the last people who rented our other property in March of 2004 left that outstanding balance after using their deposit on the last bill.  We had to pay it or face our water being turned off here!

re-tired 

Wow... I don't feel so bad now.  My last water bill was about $32 for two months, my sewer bill is due annually in August and has always been under $100/year, my trash pickup is included in my property taxes, and is picked up weekly (recycling on alternate weeks), both in large rolling containers picked up by robot arms, with large item pickup every 5 weeks at no additional charge (lots of trash picking going on those weeks).

I'd love to have your neighbours monthly bill - we live in Australia's capital city, Canberra, which has a low rainfall and has suffered several years of drought.  consequently our water bills are huge - $698 for water and sewerage for 3 months - and we are far more restrictive about water use (did I mention that we are a family of 6 adults)?.  Many people are installing at least one water tank or more if they can.  We save water with low flow showerheads and we put buckets in the shower to catch any extra water.  We save the water from turning the kitchen tap on to heat the water in winter. (Yes it can get very cold in winter).  We have also been known to save the water from cooking and use it cold on the garden. Most people who garden use drip irrigation and soil is always mulched.  Some people use shadecloth over vegetable gardens to cut the sun in summer and so reduced some of the evaporation.  Lots of people no longer bother with lawns - there simply isn't enough water available to keep them alive and if there was - I certainly wouldn't be using it on something as unproductive as a lawn. Lots of people are also attempting different forms of 'greywater' use.We have different stages of water restrictions, depending on the severity of water shortage and it is certainly true that when the bill for a commodity is very high, people are much more careful about how it is used.

rhonda hubert:

consequently our water bills are huge - $698 for water and sewerage for 3 months

 

Oh, my goodness... I think I'd have my water shut off if it was that high. I'd buy it by the 50 gallon drum and make it last forever... LOL