What do you pay for water?

What do you pay for water? The water here smells like a swimming pool and turns my shower orange. I do not drink it without filtration. When I started paying for water here in the early 1980’s, it was costing me around $55 a year. Now I am lucky if I can get by that cheaply in 2 months. And to top that off, now that I am retired, I use only half as much as I used to. How many other utilities have gone up that much? I used to be billed every 3 months, that went to every 2 and now it is every month.

I complained to the mayor and a couple of council members and even came up with a money saving solution, but none of them has bothered to respond to me.

I thought about complaining to the MPUC, but they do not handle water. If you do respond, thanks and please list what you pay for water and sewer and the units they charge you by. Most communities charge by the kilo gallon or 1,000 gallons. Also list any service fees and whether they are monthly or otherwise. If you choose, you can also list where you live. I am in Red Wing.

We pay $2.96 per 100 cubic foot which is 748 gallons. This is $2.96 for water and another $2.96 for sewer. In addition there is a $20.40 monthly availability fee and another $2.24 monthly rider they recently put on.

I filter all my water here in Bloomington Wi,and we got 5th in the nation for great water,first in the state. I use a whole house filter and a reverse ousmousis on my drinking water .

My average bill a mounth is about 80.00 dollers. It gets more expensive with summer here around 110. to 125. Sometimes i think i have a leek

Water = free. Just pay electricity to pump it.

A lot of the water around us is heavy in iron, but we are lucky to have hit just about pefect groundwater where our house it. No softener needed, water tastes EXCELLENT and makes outstanding beer/wine. We have our hot tub water tested ocassionally, and they usually comment about how great our water is…

Lucky!

X2

I don’t know what the billing rate is because I’m at work and don’t have a bill handy, but I do know my water / sewer bill is consistently right around 50 bucks every 2 months. I currently live in McFarland WI, which is a suburb of Madison. In a month, I am moving rural and will have a well.

Was just talking to my supply house salesmen about water saving toilets. He says his water bill went up 40% at the beginning of the year. We are blessed with a lot of water in our area and cheap rates. There are a lot of areas of the country where water is scarce and very expensive.

Things you can do to help cut water usage are change out faucets and shower heads to lower flow ones. There are many good 2.5 gallon shower heads on the market and they are standard with new valves. If you like your faucets look at just changing the aerators to lower flow ones.

Look at updating your washing machines. Models on the markets just a few years ago where using a lot more water than the newer ones. Check the gallons per wash that are used on them. Same with dish washers.

Look at what your water softener is using and if it is set properly. These can run threw a fair amount of water. Maybe Rootski might have some more info on this.

Low flow toilets. 1.6 gallon per flush is the standard rite now. This may be changing soon as there are a lot of 1.1 and 1.2 GPF toilets coming on the market. We will be giving one of these a test run in our office bathroom shortly. There are many quality 1.6 gpf toilets on the market. Gerber Viper and Avalanche are 2 models we use and like very much.

Water is not going to be getting any cheaper in the future. Not sure if I will see it in my life time but am hearing the future water crises will be a much bigger issue than the current oil issues we are dealing with now.

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Was just talking to my supply house salesmen about water saving toilets. He says his water bill went up 40% at the beginning of the year. We are blessed with a lot of water in our area and cheap rates. There are a lot of areas of the country where water is scarce and very expensive.

Things you can do to help cut water usage are change out faucets and shower heads to lower flow ones. There are many good 2.5 gallon shower heads on the market and they are standard with new valves. If you like your faucets look at just changing the aerators to lower flow ones.

Look at updating your washing machines. Models on the markets just a few years ago where using a lot more water than the newer ones. Check the gallons per wash that are used on them. Same with dish washers.

Look at what your water softener is using and if it is set properly. These can run threw a fair amount of water. Maybe Rootski might have some more info on this.

Low flow toilets. 1.6 gallon per flush is the standard rite now. This may be changing soon as there are a lot of 1.1 and 1.2 GPF toilets coming on the market. We will be giving one of these a test run in our office bathroom shortly. There are many quality 1.6 gpf toilets on the market. Gerber Viper and Avalanche are 2 models we use and like very much.

Water is not going to be getting any cheaper in the future. Not sure if I will see it in my life time but am hearing the future water crises will be a much bigger issue than the current oil issues we are dealing with now.

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Mike, regarding the low-flow toilets can you get more out of the flush by holding the handle down for those instances when 1.6 gallons wont do the job? I have done this assuming more water flows. Please confirm. Thanks.

This may very depending on the toilet but for most yes you can get more water out of them this way. I would question the quality of the toilet or if it is working properly if you need to do this. Might be your diet to.

Well water.

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Look at what your water softener is using and if it is set properly. These can run threw a fair amount of water.

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this was a big user in our home

went from over 10,000 gallons a month to 2600

had O-rig’s replaced

city bill, I live 30 miles noth of sioux city

here is month’s bill

watert 2100 gals 8.21

sewer 2100 gals 10.00

garbage 5.75

landfill 5.70

electric 977 kilowatts 79.99

Start off buy checking your softener if you got one

ours was leaking and running 24 seven

I did notice that our water line was sweating during the months of march, april, may but did not think much of it till our usage kept going up

I think the thing was leaking some when we got it.

Used to be always around 5000 to 6000 gallons

But like I said it is alot less now since being fixed

One more thing add some food coloring to your toilet tank

one night and check in the morning to see if it is leaking

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This may very depending on the toilet but for most yes you can get more water out of them this way. I would question the quality of the toilet or if it is working properly if you need to do this. Might be your diet to.

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Hey. It happens…

Filters and Systems:

It has been said
“If you Do Not use a Filter System,
You are One!”

I’ll check my bill tonight and let you know about Chaska’s prices. I do know that in the Minneapolis area our Sewer Fee’s are approx 2X the Water Fee.

We can’t send all our crap downriver now can we?

I was told by an Engineer friend in the know that when you take a crap in Waconia, it takes approx 48-hours before that crap get processed in the Treatment Plant in St. Paul. No wonder it costs so much.

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Mike, regarding the low-flow toilets can you get more out of the flush by holding the handle down for those instances when 1.6 gallons wont do the job? I have done this assuming more water flows. Please confirm. Thanks.

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That made laugh so hard I reverse-snorted my beverage!!!

$2/1000 in Brandon, SD

Just priced having a well put in…wow! They need to go 120′ ended up about $4,200.

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There are many quality 1.6 gpf toilets on the market. Gerber Viper and Avalanche are 2 models we use and like very much.

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Like Westman said: The Viper is a great toilet. 2 years that thing has never seen a plunger!

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What do you pay for water? ~~~~~ We pay $2.96 per 100 cubic foot which is 748 gallons. This is $2.96 for water and another $2.96 for sewer. In addition there is a $20.40 monthly availability fee and another $2.24 monthly rider they recently put on.

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Almost $10 per 1000 gallons after taxes, water rate, and monthly dues. I have two Hinkley Springs hot/cold water coolers one for the house and one for my shop and I think that is $6 or $8 for five gallons. I am not sure but my best guess is that we drink 10 to 12 bottles a month. And then the cost of bottled water when we are out. Really it is quite expensive when it is all added up. Since I am on a septic system sewage desposal does not cost anything.

My house is hooked to a rural water district we don’t have an abundance of ground water in my area like some people. Since I am five miles from the treatment facility I don’t really know how old it is once it comes out either. It doesn’t smell or taste off, I just have some concerns about the quality.

I live in WNY and have no sewer ( on a septic system) which raises others water bills but mine are $120 for the year. Our water always tastes good and leaves no staining on tub or shower. C’mon to NY!!!

Free you say on your Well or Septic System?

Wait and tell me your Repair or Replacement cost for a New Well or Septic and maintenance fees.

My friends new septic cost them over $15,000, now he needs a new Well too. Ouch!

Water and sewer are cheap here. Just what ever the electric bill is to pump it. That is of course after you pay for the $15,000 septic system and the $5,000 well. Then there is the piping and fitting with a plumber thrown in.

Flip side of the coin is, I live in the country surrounded by turkeys, deer, squirrels, ‘coons, opossums, song birds, sandhill cranes, geese, ducks, … You get the picture. Great place to live has its price.