Anthem water bills (Phoenix: rental, appliances, house)

[Az_Mitch]

Last year our sewer charge was $106 and that was going to increase this past January to $121. That was only for the wastewater portion of the bill. We lobbied the Arizona Corporation Commission and came out with a settlement agreement in December that decreased our sewer fee to $71.

It wasn't my bill that was that much. Part of lobbying the ACC was sending them water bills from community residents so the commissioners could see exactly how outrageous it was. We collected resident bills and mailed them in. I did see 2 bills from residents that were in the $400-$500 range. These residents were somehow using an outrageous amount of water. My only explanation is huge pool and irrigation leaks. These residents were using around 50k gallons of water a month. Most pools have an automatic pool filler these days so if your pool has a leak you won't know about it because the system fills it up without you knowing. Also, most people that live in my area have someone else take care of their landscaping which includes setting the time and duration of the irrigation. The landscapers are over watering to make sure nothing dies and they don't care because they're not paying the bill.

We're still working on getting the sewer charge lowered below $71 but that is going to take another year or so to get it through the ACC.

I hope that explained it. When your sewer charge is $106 you are already behind the power curve.

*** I just want to make sure anyone that looks at this knows I do not live in Anthem. I live in the Agua Fria EPCOR district. I just don't want someone that reads the title of the thread to be misled about my post.

[urbex]

Originally Posted by Az_Mitch

Last year our sewer charge was $106 and that was going to increase this past January to $121. That was only for the wastewater portion of the bill. We lobbied the Arizona Corporation Commission and came out with a settlement agreement in December that decreased our sewer fee to $71.

It wasn't my bill that was that much.

When you said "My bill last month was $140"...I kinda made the assumption you were talking about your bill...

But taking away the $106 sewage charge off would bring the water portion down to $34, which is much more in line with what I was thinking for water, and I'm no longer worried about unexpected costs

[CNC1962]

I live on the East side of Anthem. When I moved here 2.5 yrs ago my average water bill was $220 we also have a swimming pool. Since I replaced all of the toilets and turned off my drip system my water bill is between $80 to $95 a month including sewage.

[AGA4233]

Hey...any updates to this thread? Looking at places in Anthem and for sure the water/sewer bills are a factor. I'm used to paying $65 flat rate from another state.

Thanks!

[johnp292]

Originally Posted by AGA4233

Hey...any updates to this thread? Looking at places in Anthem and for sure the water/sewer bills are a factor. I'm used to paying $65 flat rate from another state.

Thanks!

What kind of updates? Nothing has changed. East of I17 you get ripped off by Epcor. West of I17 you have water from the city and its less expensive. And of course, everything depends on how much water you use.

[MGS4EVER]

Originally Posted by Az_Mitch

I don't live in Anthem but I am an EPCOR customer in Verrado that has EPCOR service for both water and sewer. We worked with Anthem residents at the end of the last year to get our rates reduced for sewer by pushing a case through the Arizona Corporation Commission(ACC). My sewer and water rates are more expensive in Verrado than they are in Anthem. You can go to the link below and see the specific water and wastewater rates for Anthem.

EPCOR :: Rates & Tariffs

So much of this depends upon your usage. My bill last month was $140. I used about 9k gallons last month. I have almost about 1/3 of an acre lot with a grass front yard however once I fixed some irrigation leaks my bill hasn't been above $200. I have seen bills here in Verrado for $400-$500 but those people are using huge amounts of water.

Also, EPCOR will be filing a new rate case with the ACC in September to decide new sewer rates for all of their districts which could lead to a decrease in rates depending upon what they decide.

I can't speak to the trash rates.

I feel your pain regarding Epcor. We used to have Amerizona for our water service and our bill at the highest for 1/2 acre of desert landscaping and our residence was $30/mo. The water wasn't the greatest, but you could drink it out of the tap if you had to. Now with Epcor they were not only able to get a 45% increase, but the water quality has gone down considerably! It is extremely hard and always smells of Chlorine.

AZ_Mitch--do you have a water system such as conditioner/softener/RO? Thanks

[AGA4233]

Originally Posted by johnp292

What kind of updates? Nothing has changed. East of I17 you get ripped off by Epcor. West of I17 you have water from the city and its less expensive. And of course, everything depends on how much water you use.

LOL!
Do you know what the flat rate for the Epcor side is? Is it like $90 minimum? Includes sewer?

[johnp292]

Originally Posted by AGA4233

LOL!
Do you know what the flat rate for the Epcor side is? Is it like $90 minimum? Includes sewer?

There's no flat rate afaik. It's entirely based on usage.

Sewer is part of the water bill, I believe it is currently capped at about $72/month.

I never see a monthly water bill less than about $115 in the winter, in the summer it hits $220 or so for the peak months. I'm hoping it will be less this year now that the 2-showers-per-day teenager has moved out!

[AGA4233]

Originally Posted by johnp292

There's no flat rate afaik. It's entirely based on usage.

Sewer is part of the water bill, I believe it is currently capped at about $72/month.

I never see a monthly water bill less than about $115 in the winter, in the summer it hits $220 or so for the peak months. I'm hoping it will be less this year now that the 2-showers-per-day teenager has moved out!

Wow...so do you think the showers are the main reason for your costs? How about watering the plants, etc? Thx

[johnp292]

Originally Posted by AGA4233

Wow...so do you think the showers are the main reason for your costs? How about watering the plants, etc? Thx

Main reason? No. Contributing factor? Yes. But we have a pool and a sprinkler system with grass in the yard, so that's probably the biggest factor.