Disappointing water bill (Atlanta: appointed, how much, estimated) - Georgia (GA) - City-Data Forum

pinetreelover · 11-09-2007, 05:04 AM

I received my November water bill yesterday from the City of Atlanta and was so disappointed. It stated that I had used the exact same CCFs as the month before leaving me with a bill that was, to the penny, the same as October. We have tried to take the water shortage warnings very seriously and our entire family has changed our usage behavior and have cut back significantly. I was hoping for some positive reinforcement by seeing how much less we had used than the previous month. Obviously they don't read the meter each month, but if the majority of folks have cut back but are paying the same it really makes you wonder.

BobKovacs · 11-09-2007, 06:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pinetreelover

I received my November water bill yesterday from the City of Atlanta and was so disappointed. It stated that I had used the exact same CCFs as the month before leaving me with a bill that was, to the penny, the same as October. We have tried to take the water shortage warnings very seriously and our entire family has changed our usage behavior and have cut back significantly. I was hoping for some positive reinforcement by seeing how much less we had used than the previous month. Obviously they don't read the meter each month, but if the majority of folks have cut back but are paying the same it really makes you wonder.

Why don't you think they're reading the meter each month? How else are they arriving at your usage?

PeteyNice · 11-09-2007, 06:55 AM

It gets estimated based on your previous usage. Generally they only come out once a quarter or even less frequently to read your meter. It will say on your bill whether it was read or estimated.

jillmaican · 11-09-2007, 07:08 AM

Depends on when exactly you started to cut back. Did you start mid-cycle ? If so you might not see a significant change until the following bill. Also you normally get charged on a $ per 1,000 gallon. Cutting back 1,000 gallons isn't easy. Even you conserved 300 gallons or so it might not be reflected in your bill.

pinetreelover · 11-09-2007, 07:26 AM

What exactly is a CCF? Is that 1000 gallons?

jillmaican · 11-09-2007, 07:49 AM

CCF = 100 cubic feet.

1 cubic foot = 7. 48 gallons

100 cubic feet = 748 gallons

rackensack · 11-09-2007, 07:55 AM

According to an AJC article on Nov 2, 2007 ("Water meter on governor's compound broken for 2 years", Metro section) about 6,500 of the 149,000 water meters in the city of Atlanta are broken, missing, tampered with, or otherwise unable to measure water usage, including one on the guard barracks at the governor's mansion. This is believed to be a significant factor in the 14 percent of water used currently that is "unaccounted for". So even if they wanted to read every single meter every month, they couldn't.

They are in the process of replacing all of the meters in the city with new high-tech meters that relay usage back to the water department by radio, but they did not attempt to replace old, broken, or missing meters first, deeming it more efficient to replace all of the meters in one geographic area of the city at a time. They expect to complete this project by July 2009.

jillmaican · 11-09-2007, 07:57 AM

Ok I admit the environmental engineer that I am is sitting here trying to figure out why your bill is the same. I have work to do! Like real work so I can't think about this any longer

But here's an interesting write-up on water use:

http://www.cityofmadison.com/water/Documents/UseBillForGood.pdf (broken link)

If you did some of these things you should see a reduction in your bill. Check the bill to see if its estimated or not. Its strange that the amount is EXACTLY the same as last month. My bills are never the same...