Re: Pittsburgh Water & Sewer Authority (2015, bills, food)

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by greg42

If you look it up there are some places where collecting rainwater has been deemed illegal (because you are keeping it from going into the ground). They're all out west where of course they have built up settlement in places where there is no water to begin with....

That makes sense for areas with limited rainfall. Around here, it's beneficial.

[Clint.]

So you were self-reporting the water usage? I've seen that as an option before and mean to try it out now and then, but never seem to get around to it. Hopefully you're caught up by now.

If you're able to divert the rainwater, might as well. Even if you don't use it for anything, I think it's good for the public drainage system to have less running through it. We have a rain barrel set up at one downspout and the overflow directed away from the house, and at another have the downspout draining toward a tree and some other foliage. The third really isn't feasible (i.e., too much of a hassle) to redirect far enough away from the foundation.

Glad you figured out the discrepancy and that it wasn't a serious problem!

[pwumavs]

Originally Posted by kdonahue22

Hi all,

My name is Kevin Donahue, I am the Customer Service Manager for The Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority (PWSA). Our Call Center team has recently been enhanced to answer calls faster while delivering a higher level of quality assurance. I am confident that we can better answer specific account questions in a more confidential fashion by calling Customer Services at 412-255-2423 or by e-mailing info@pgh2o.com. Please request to speak to myself or a Customer Service Supervisor if you are not satisfied with the services rendered to you.

On a positive note, PWSA and the Allegheny County Sanitary Authority (ALCOSAN) will NOT be implementing increases for 2013. PWSA's staff is here to help in any way possible. There are many ways to validate invoicing as well as the measuring mechanism attached to your meter. Customer Service improvements and better meter technologies are helping PWSA stray away from age old mis-perceptions. Please feel free to contact us for a more detailed review of your account. Thank you,

Does anyone have this Kevin Donahue's direct contact info? I've emailed PWSA twice in the past week to inquire about my bill, but no one has responded.

Here's the issue: My latest water/sewer/trash bill is a whopping $96, and I'm having trouble understanding why it's so high. I'm a single guy living by myself in a rowhouse. I haven't been taking showers every day since it's been cold enough where I haven't felt the need to, and I haven't done laundry (embarrassingly) in over 2 months. I rarely have guests over who use water (since I moved in to my house in late summer, the only water/sewer use aside from me has been from guests at my housewarming party, my parents visiting for 2 days, and a friend who stopped over to watch a sporting event on TV). And yet my estimated water use was 4,000 gallons for my latest bill, which astounds me.

What could make a single-person household's PWSA bill so damn high?

[I_Like_Spam]

Originally Posted by pwumavs

And yet my estimated water use was 4,000 gallons for my latest bill, which astounds me.

What could make a single-person household's PWSA bill so damn high?

A leaky toilet would certainly cause a big increase like this.

That happened to me, check my commode downstairs, repaired it, and the water bill went down.

[pwumavs]

Originally Posted by I_Like_Spam

A leaky toilet would certainly cause a big increase like this.

That happened to me, check my commode downstairs, repaired it, and the water bill went down.

Hmm, thanks...I'll have to look into that. I think I might have a couple of those toilet dye tablets somewhere. The only sure leak I know of in my house is my washer's drain pipe down in the basement, but I haven't used my washer in over 2 months.

[onwardandupward]

It also could be wrong - I received a bill from PWSA for over $200 when my normal bill was around $60. I called, was told it was an error and that I will get a corrected bill. Definitely call them to find out.

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by onwardandupward

It also could be wrong - I received a bill from PWSA for over $200 when my normal bill was around $60. I called, was told it was an error and that I will get a corrected bill. Definitely call them to find out.

Before I take this route to call PWSA to find out what's going on I figured I'd check here first. My bill this month (due March 1) is $137, and it's normally $50/month-$70/month. Did anyone else notice a huge jump in their bill?

[I_Like_Spam]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

Before I take this route to call PWSA to find out what's going on I figured I'd check here first. My bill this month (due March 1) is $137, and it's normally $50/month-$70/month. Did anyone else notice a huge jump in their bill?

Bills went up a little bit, maybe 10-15%.

Nothing like a doubling.

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by I_Like_Spam

Bills went up a little bit, maybe 10-15%.

Nothing like a doubling.

Ok. This helps to reaffirm that I should probably call PWSA on Monday and inquire. Our usage has remained relatively constant since moving in; however, we also pay for our upstairs neighbor's water bill because our landlady never separate the water between the two units. If PWSA confirms a spike in usage, I'm going to have to let our neighbor know that I expect her to chip in this month, since the higher usage would have resulted from her.

[I_Like_Spam]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

. If PWSA confirms a spike in usage, I'm going to have to let our neighbor know that I expect her to chip in this month, since the higher usage would have resulted from her.

Not necessarily.

Are you sure you don't have a leaky toilet that is wasting water?