Water a problem in Irvine? (apartments, condo, landscaping)

[k374]

I live in a 650sqft 1bd, single person, and hardly use much water and used to pay $38/mo for water/trash which I thought was high in the first place but the shocker was this month, the bill jumped to $59. When I asked why they said Irvine Ranch Water district has increased water rates. WHAT, by 55%? Is this some kind of BS?

Unfortunately the apartments here are not individually metered and the entire consumption of the complex is just divided in a ratio (1bd/2bd).

Have any of you guys in South OC noticed dramatically higher water rates in the past month? I find a 55% increase downright ludicrous and a scam.

[JustJulia]

I believe that, like electricity, IRWD consumers are charged according to what "usage tier" they are in. If you are below a certain threshold, your rate is X. Cross that threshold, and your rate is Y. Cross yet another threshold, and your rate is Z. Your bill can jump quite a bit if you fall into a new tier. Do you actually see a bill each month? Can you compare your complex's water consumption from last month to this month? Maybe there was a problem you didn't know about, like a burst pipe on the other side of the complex, or increased landscaping use. If you have a pool, maybe they had to drain and fill it a couple of times. You are in a drought right now, so the tier might be more restrictive than they used to try to control consumption.

Overall, IRWD rates are pretty low, or they were last year. They're a smart organization with a lot of investments to pay for refurbishments and other projects.

[BRinSM]

rates are going up in my neck of the woods too, i think it's due to the lack of water throughout the entire region.

[Aqua Bliss]

I have IRWD and almost always use the minimum, I am in a 2 bedroom condo just my wife and I. Below is my billing history, it has been steadilly going up but not by 50% plus for sure....!

8/25/09 $ 22.93
7/28/09 $ 22.02
6/29/09 $ 20.58
6/02/09 $ 19.67
4/28/09 $ 20.58
3/30/09 $ 19.67
2/26/09 $ 19.67
1/30/09 $ 19.67
12/29/08 $ 20.58
12/01/08 $ 19.67
10/29/08 $ 19.67
9/18/08 $ 19.67

[k374]

The complex sent out a memo saying that the usage this month was categorized as "excessive" by the IRWD, supposedly the excessive rate is almost double the regular rate. Unfortunately since individual units are not metered everyone gets hit.

[JustJulia]

That stinks!! I would really push the managers to identify the reason so it doesn't continue.

[k374]

This sucks! My new water bill has risen AGAIN!!! Now it has risen from $59 to $79 This is out of control What can I do about this?

So in the past 2 months my water bill has increased by 100%!!

[JustJulia]

All I can suggest is what I said before: confront management. Maybe get a bunch of your neighbors together? Surely you're not the only one who is angry about this. Tell management they need to get to the bottom of this. Are they overwatering the landscaping? Is there perhaps a problem with the pool? It doesn't seem logical that just a few people would make such a huge difference for everyone, since the bill is split up evenly. There must be a big problem somewhere, like a leaky pipe or some toilets in the common area that are always running or something.

And not to sound conspiratorial, but is it possible that management is falsifying your bills to make extra money--say, if tenancy is way down? Do you all see a real water bill, or are you simply invoiced? I'd want to see that bill.

[k374]

thanks Julia. The bill is simply invoiced but it is done through a 3rd party company although last month they did send out a memo giving the exact water usage. Rents in this complex have dropped 30% due to high vacancy. Besides the falsification of the bills to make up revenue I am also thinking maybe many more people are living in the apartments than is allowed resulting in a spike in water usage. In these economic times perhaps people are allowing relatives to move in.

So as a 1bd if I have to pay $80 for water does a 2bd pay $160? That sounds ridiculous. I hardly use any water, I don't even cook, all I do is take 2 showers a day which I have been doing for the last 4 years, nothing has changed...it seems outrageous for me to pay this! It seems I am subsidizing the expenses of other people which makes me mad! I am going to talk to management for sure.

About falsification I am not absolutely sure that is very likely since this is a very big established complex and they could get into serious liability exposure pulling those kinds of stunts.

[JustJulia]

I think you and your neighbors need to show up with torches and pitchforks.