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Because of the tiered system, car wash owner Jeff Small says the water and sewer bill Jeff Small, owner of $3 Car Wash in Spotsylvania, demonstrates the water reclamation system he uses at his business. Small said he reclaims 50 percent to 70 percent of the hundreds of thousands of gallons he uses each month. |
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.
But Stafford County uses a special rate of $2.83 per thousand gallons for non-residential customers.
The impact on Small's business is huge. His Spotsylvania water and sewer bill in April was $4,765 for 379,000 gallons. His Stafford utilities bill in February was $2,218 for 320,000 gallons. The bills for his two Chesterfield County car washes in April were $1,286 for 333,234 gallons and $1,020 for 257,686 gallons.
Impact on family of 11
Car wash owners aren't the only people railing against the rates.
Mary and Michael Walsh have nine children: five boys and four girls ranging in age from 3 to 19 years old.
"I think I have a good reason to use more water," she said.
The Walshes don't have a pool at their Maple Grove subdivision home. They don't irrigate their lawn. Mary Walsh said she never washes her car.
Walsh, who homeschools seven of her nine children, doesn't have a paying job. Her husband works for a medical company.
"I don't mind paying more because I have a larger family," she said. "What you are doing here, though, is penalizing people who are using more water, even though they are taking care of basic necessities."
A typical household in Spotsylvania pays between $45 and $60 a month for about 5,000 gallons per month.
The Walshes use about 18,000 gallons a month to wash clothes, cook and take showers. They pay more than $200 a month.
That puts the family in the second of four tiers. That means the family pays $1.15 per thousand gallons up to 2,000, and then $5.09 per thousand gallons above 2,001 gallons.
Mary Walsh said she spoke with county utilities employees about the higher bill and they suggested she check the home for any plumbing leaks. She replaced two toilets for more than $500 and her bill dropped a little less than 10 percent.
"That is not the kind of relief we were looking for," she said. "I was expecting it to drop $100 a month."
Conserving water
In April 2008, the Utilities Department sent residents letters warning that those who irrigate their lawns will see a large increase in their bills. Ed Petrovitch, the director of the Utilities Department, said the purpose of the tiered rate structure is to urge residents to conserve water. Efforts to reach Petrovitch for comment were unsuccessful.
Some businesses and homes--about a tenth of a percent of the total--use as much as 43,000 gallons or more of water a month, according to figures from the Utilities Department.
Small's car wash is the fifth-largest water user in the county.
The Utilities Department told the Board of Supervisors recently that it needs to raise the rates again next year because of declining water connection fees and to pay the debt on $44 million it will need to borrow for capital projects.
But tonight's public hearing on the new rates was postponed.
Small said Petrovitch and his staff have been very helpful. He applauded the department for listening to his concerns and visiting his car wash so he could show them the technology he uses.
Supervisor Jerry Logan said Small and Mary Walsh make good points. He said their higher water and sewer bills are unintended consequences of the new rates.
Logan said he wants the Board of Supervisors to reconsider the rates and possibly create a special rate for businesses that rely on using water and for large families.
"We shouldn't be penalizing people like Mary and those who absolutely have to use the water," Logan said. "It is those who don't have to and they are choosing to water their lawns; that was the intended consequence."
Dan Telvock: 540/374-5438
Email: dtelvock@freelancestar.com
