jimcas Posted August 5, 2009 Share Posted August 5, 2009 I've seen my water bill increase pretty dramatically the last four months in a row from HC MUD 360, which is now managed by Southwest Water. Last month was the highest I've ever had, and by a decent margin.I know it's summer and we might be using our sprinklers more, especially with the lack of rain, but I don't think our usage, or water bills, should be so dramatically higher than it's been in the past. This July bill was a lot more than last July, so I don't think it's just a summer thing. I had someone come out and they determined we don't have a leak.Anyone else in HC MUD 360 seeing a big increasing trend on your water bill or have any insights on this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cnote Posted August 5, 2009 Share Posted August 5, 2009 I've seen my water bill increase pretty dramatically the last four months in a row from HC MUD 360, which is now managed by Southwest Water. Last month was the highest I've ever had, and by a decent margin.I know it's summer and we might be using our sprinklers more, especially with the lack of rain, but I don't think our usage, or water bills, should be so dramatically higher than it's been in the past. This July bill was a lot more than last July, so I don't think it's just a summer thing. I had someone come out and they determined we don't have a leak.Anyone else in HC MUD 360 seeing a big increasing trend on your water bill or have any insights on this?I'm in MUD 364 managed by the same company. I believe the effect you are seeing on your bill is due to the tiered system of the water rates. Once your water usage reaches a certain level, you are charged a higher rate for each gallon you use. So you probably used more due to the drought, and this was exponentially reflected in your bill as the rate increased along with the increased usage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrfootball Posted August 6, 2009 Share Posted August 6, 2009 I'm in MUD 364 managed by the same company. I believe the effect you are seeing on your bill is due to the tiered system of the water rates. Once your water usage reaches a certain level, you are charged a higher rate for each gallon you use. So you probably used more due to the drought, and this was exponentially reflected in your bill as the rate increased along with the increased usage.Glad you brought this up. Of course, I'm in MUD 360 as well. My H20 bill was more than twice what it was last month and I'd like to find out what's up? Usage was about the same. I noticed half the bill went to some Regional Water Authority? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimcas Posted August 6, 2009 Author Share Posted August 6, 2009 Glad you brought this up. Of course, I'm in MUD 360 as well. My H20 bill was more than twice what it was last month and I'd like to find out what's up? Usage was about the same. I noticed half the bill went to some Regional Water Authority?I called and they said it was calculated something like this. These aren't the exact numbers but very close:Water = $9 base charge and $1.35 for each 1000 gallons over 10k gallonsSewer = $10 base charge and $1.00 for each 1000 gallons over 25k gallonsRegion Water Authority = $1.50 for each 1000 gallons.My bill seems to add up using these amounts- I just don't understand why my water usage has gone up so dramatically...My usage supposedly went from 13k to 16k to 21k to 23k over the last four months...I've always been in the 10-15k range in the past. It's hard to believe its all due to the sprinklers running a little more. I was wondering if others were seeing a similar increase in their usage... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Original Timmy Chan's Posted August 6, 2009 Share Posted August 6, 2009 I called and they said it was calculated something like this. These aren't the exact numbers but very close:Water = $9 base charge and $1.35 for each 1000 gallons over 10k gallonsSewer = $10 base charge and $1.00 for each 1000 gallons over 25k gallonsRegion Water Authority = $1.50 for each 1000 gallons.My bill seems to add up using these amounts- I just don't understand why my water usage has gone up so dramatically...My usage supposedly went from 13k to 16k to 21k to 23k over the last four months...I've always been in the 10-15k range in the past. It's hard to believe its all due to the sprinklers running a little more. I was wondering if others were seeing a similar increase in their usage...Watering makes a HUGE difference. I forget the statistics, but they're probably pretty easy to find online...something like 50-60% of domestic water usage is for irrigation/watering. Typically you're not watering in the wintertime, so it stands to reason that you'll use more water in the summer.I'm not in a MUD, but my water usage doubled in June. I'm typically in the 3k-4k gallon range, but with all the watering I did in June (two or three times a week), we used 7k. During a more typical summer where we actually get some rain I usually use around 5k gallons.Just to give you some perspective, for public water systems, the TCEQ estimates a typical home to use 315 gallons per day (for 2.3 or 2.7 residents/household?). That's around 10k gallons per month. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimcas Posted August 7, 2009 Author Share Posted August 7, 2009 Watering makes a HUGE difference. I forget the statistics, but they're probably pretty easy to find online...something like 50-60% of domestic water usage is for irrigation/watering. Typically you're not watering in the wintertime, so it stands to reason that you'll use more water in the summer.I'm not in a MUD, but my water usage doubled in June. I'm typically in the 3k-4k gallon range, but with all the watering I did in June (two or three times a week), we used 7k. During a more typical summer where we actually get some rain I usually use around 5k gallons.Just to give you some perspective, for public water systems, the TCEQ estimates a typical home to use 315 gallons per day (for 2.3 or 2.7 residents/household?). That's around 10k gallons per month.Interesting.... well maybe that's it then. Still surprised I'm at 23k though if the average home is at 10k.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Original Timmy Chan's Posted August 7, 2009 Share Posted August 7, 2009 Interesting.... well maybe that's it then. Still surprised I'm at 23k though if the average home is at 10k....Big family (laundry/dishes/showers)? Big yard(irrigation)? Pool? Could also be a leak or a bad meter. Assuming your neighbors have similar house/yard sizes, are your water usages similar? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedScare Posted August 7, 2009 Share Posted August 7, 2009 http://www.epa.gov/WaterSense/pubs/outdoor.htmNationwide, outdoor water use accounts for 1/3 of all water use. Further, 50% of the outdoor water is wasted. I'm willing to bet that in a hot clime like Houston, outdoor water use is a much higher percentage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimcas Posted August 12, 2009 Author Share Posted August 12, 2009 One of my neighbors across the street mentioned yesterday that his bill is jacked up now too.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cnote Posted August 13, 2009 Share Posted August 13, 2009 One of my neighbors across the street mentioned yesterday that his bill is jacked up now too....Have you always had the charge for the regional water authority? Does that have something to do with the switch from ground to surface water? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimcas Posted August 13, 2009 Author Share Posted August 13, 2009 Have you always had the charge for the regional water authority? Does that have something to do with the switch from ground to surface water?I don't have a long history of my bills since the managing company just changed and I don't keep old water bills laying around, but after reading this article, I think this is the main source of the increase. Looks like higher water bills might be here to stay...http://www.nhcrwa.com/waterlines-newsletter/23765_PC-NHCRWA-Waterlines4-2009.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrfootball Posted August 14, 2009 Share Posted August 14, 2009 I don't have a long history of my bills since the managing company just changed and I don't keep old water bills laying around, but after reading this article, I think this is the main source of the increase. Looks like higher water bills might be here to stay...http://www.nhcrwa.com/waterlines-newsletter/23765_PC-NHCRWA-Waterlines4-2009.pdfInteresting...(from the above linked pdf)We continue to be on or ahead of schedule and under budget.In addition,” Schindewolf explained,“we have also benefitted from an excellent working relationship with the City of Houston -- from whom we will purchase the new supply of surface water...Why was this necessary and why the rush? Seems to me, what they've done is consolidate the little independent water districts in NW Harris County and West Houston and have forced them to become dependent on the City of Houston's surface water source? So now, we're in effect subjected to City of Houston pricing. City of Houston bureaucrats, City of Houston Chloramine disinfection, Big Gov't crookery, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Original Timmy Chan's Posted August 15, 2009 Share Posted August 15, 2009 Interesting...(from the above linked pdf) We continue to be on or ahead of schedule and under budget. In addition,” Schindewolf explained,“we have also benefitted from an excellent working relationship with the City of Houston -- from whom we will purchase the new supply of surface water... Why was this necessary and why the rush? Seems to me, what they've done is consolidate the little independent water districts in NW Harris County and West Houston and have forced them to become dependent on the City of Houston's surface water source? So now, we're in effect subjected to City of Houston pricing. City of Houston bureaucrats, City of Houston Chloramine disinfection, Big Gov't crookery, etc. The answer to you first question is SUBSIDENCE due to groundwater withdrawals. Each of these hundreds of "little independent water districts" or MUDs in Harris County pump from the ground millions of gallons of water EVERY DAY. The result of pulling billions of gallons of water from our underground aquifers, year after year and decade after decade, is that our ground is literally sinking beneath us. Here's a map showing land subsidence in the Houston area between 1906 and 2000. Notice that much of SE Houston has subsided 7-8 feet over the last 100 years, due to water (and oil) withdrawals. Also note that the Jersey Village area has also seen similar subsidence. Most of SE Houston's subsidence was due to massive withdrawals of water for the petrochem industry around the Ship Channel and Texas City. That's not the case around Jersey Village...that subsidence is due to water withdrawals for (mostly) residential uses. What's been happening over the last 30+ years is a shift from groundwater to surface water (from sources like Lake Houston, Lake Livingston, Lake Conroe). SE Houston was the first to get off of groundwater and on to surface water, with surface water being supplied to East Houston industries as early as the 1950's. I've also linked to a map showing subsidence of the Houston area from 1978-2000. Notice the success of the surface water transition in the SE parts of Houston...minimal subsidence on the SE side, but growing subsidence in NW Houston, as the population of that part of town has exploded over the same period of time. While SE Houston saw about 6" or less of subsidence between 1978-2000, NW Houston saw up to 5' of subsidence. That's a direct result of SE Houston being on surface water (little to no groundwater withdrawal in that area), while NW Houston keeps pumping hundreds of millions of gallons of water out of the ground each day. Houston Subsidence 1978-2000 The subsidence issue is much larger than any individual MUD can tackle. It's a regional issue that we all have to work together to solve. The City of Houston has taken the lead on investing hundreds of millions of dollars and decades of time getting surface water rights, building reservoirs, and building surface water treatment plants to help solve the subsidence problem. I suppose the West Harris County and North Harris County Regional Water Authorities are free to build their own reservoirs and treatment plants independent of the City of Houston, but it seems to be a huge waste of effort and funds to do so, just to avoid dealing with the City of Houston. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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