|
|
||
Increases in water and sewer bills have big impact on heavy users in Spotsylvania County Date published: 12/8/2009
By DAN TELVOCK A Spotsylvania County car wash owner is protesting the county's water and sewer rates, saying the charges are out of line with other localities where he has businesses. Jeff Small, who owns the $3 Car Wash on U.S. 1 south near Cosners Corner Shopping Center, said his water and sewer bills for this location are double the bills he gets for his Stafford County car wash and almost triple the bills for his two Chesterfield County car washes. Small says he installs expensive water-saving technology for all of his car washes, an elaborate setup of three 1,500 gallon tanks that captures runoff. Each time the water moves to a different tank, sediment is removed. Then it goes to a pump, which Small said is basically an industrial pool filter, that reclaims between 50 percent and 70 percent of the runoff water. "I am as green as they get," Small said about his environmental awareness. Small said he has spoken with four Spotsylvania supervisors and employees in the Utilities Department, suggesting that the county could offer a lower rate for businesses that use certified green technology. Small said he and about 25 other people plan to protest the rates at tonight's Board of Supervisors meeting. They will wear green T-shirts and ask supervisors to consider making changes to the rate structure. "We're not going to be the angry green mob," Small said. "We are a green group that supports what the supervisors are doing. We just want them to tie up this loose end." TIERED RATE STRUCTURE In 2005, the Board of Supervisors approved a tiered rate structure as a way to encourage water conservation. For three years in a row, the water and sewer rates increased, and there are plans to increase the rates again in 2010. Once a Spotsylvania business or household uses more than 33,501 gallons of water per month, the water rate jumps to $8.31 per thousand gallons and the sewer rate is $4.66 per thousand gallons. In Stafford County, households that use more than 21,000 gallons per month are charged $23.55. The average home uses about 5,000 gallons per month.
the number of children they have becomes others business when they claim they shouldn't have to pay for the water they use because they are only using the "basic necessities" for their chosen family size. If you do the math on the numbers in the article they aren't paying an out of line amount for gallons used. I hope you haven't any children at all, You're not wanting folks to pay their own way would be a horrible example to pass on to another generation.
and they pay $200 that's 90 gallons per $1 , and if you use $5000 gallons and pay $55 Thats 90.9 gallons per dollar. Seems like their problem is less the rate than the volume of water they are using. Here's a thought for a lesson for their home schooling If one person uses X gallons of water and their water bill is Y, Then if 11 people are in the household heir water bill could be expected to be ? The answer would be 11Y. Now why should others have to pay for your decision to have 9 kids?
The County is just enforcing a state law for your backflow prevention device. And your if you look at your water bill you are being charged for your usage. Not simply because you have an irrigation system.
a higher rate just because we had an irrigations system INSTALLED. Even when we have NOT used the system we are paying outrageous water/sewer bills because we simply have the system. How do they know we have it? When it's installed paperwork is submitted by the installer, to the County. Then the County further penalizes us by mandating an annual backflow inspection which we are charged $50-75 just for them to come out look at a pipe, then leave. All of 3 minutes tops!
Looks like the majority of you are missing their point. The rates are unreasonably high as compared to surrounding counties. The supervisors encourage another business to relocate and leave a vacant facility.
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||
