Water & sewer bill

[waterboy]

i am just curious what you guys are paying for water and sewage. I have to truck the water in and truck the wastewater out. It costs me about 3.5 cents a gallon. Any input would be appreciated. thanks.

 

[Waxman]

Mine is per 100 cubic feet and I always forget the multiplier but I will look it up or call tomorrow; they do not list the $ on my bill.

 

[I.B. Washincars]

1 cubic foot = 7.48 gallons

 

[Buzzie8]

Water Rates (per cubic foot)
Up to 10k $480.13
Next 10k $3.60 per 1000 cu ft
Next 28k $3.11 per 1000 cu ft
Next 52k $2.66 per 1000 cu ft
All after $2.30 per 1000 cu ft

Sewage Rates (The highest in my area and possibly the entire east coast)
$11.43 per 1,000 gallons

Last months water sewage bill a wopping $5,500 (good wash month though)

 

[UWash]

Here in western New York our rate is $2.70/1000 for water and $4.70/1000 for sewer so combined its $7.40/1000.

I wish there was an alternative, the town will not allow me to use a septic system even considering I have enough land. I tried to make my case that I was really only discharging "Grey water and not sanitary sewer water but they didn't care and said thats the code "if town sewers are available you must utilize".

 

[Dean Taylor]

You can reduce your water and sewer fees by over 70% if you use a good reclaim system. In some cases you can eliminate sewer all together.

Buzzie8, you are way overdue!....you could save $3,800.00 a month with a reclaim system. Sure there is a little effort involved but 10 minutes a week to save $3,800.00 a month = $95.00 a minute! ...a no brainer for sure.

What could you buy with $3,800.00 a month? One heck of a house with a Corvette in the garage and a big RV to tow it.....and money to spend on the way!

Even if you cut it 50% it's still HUGE!

 

[cleaning up mud]

How much are reclaims to install?? $$$$$

 

[Dean Taylor]

Of course it depends on the size system and some other factors but typically between $20K and $40K. A bit of an up-front investment but it could save you big bucks for a long time.

Reclaim isn't for everyone. If your water and sewer bills are under $1,000.00 a month, then it probably won't help you.

The best way to determine if it will help you is to take your monthly water and sewer bill and multiply it by 0.7. The result is the savings in dollars you can expect per month.

Of course you have to figure and subtract your upfront investment (perhaps in terms of a monthly lease payment) but once paid for, this number is your savings every month, and we all know it's only going to go up.

 

[Dirtychuck]

My commercial water rate for the first 1000 gallons $8.75 then for 1001-20000 gallons it is $5.38 per 1000 gal then 20000+ it is $4.25 per 1000 gal.

Sewer rates are $7.25 for first 1000 gallons, then $5.20 per 1000 gal.

What I love is that there is a commercial water rate and a residential water rate. Commercial is 25% more than residential for the same water and service.

 

[mac]

Just talked to a customer doing a wash in Cocoa Beach, FL. His combined water and sewer rate is $35 per 1,000 gallons.

 

[rph9168]

Does the county or city they are in allow a meter to be installed on the sewer line? Not all jurisdictions will allow it. When available I have seen many cases where a considerable amount of money can be saved if you can meter the discharge water.

 

[Waxman]

I have heard the same thing and I asked my sewer dept about it. They said no because there is no one to read it and no policy regarding metered sewage.

 

[rph9168]

Most places resist metering discharge water because it costs them money in terms of lower sewer bills. I always wonder when they say they can't read them how are they able to read the water meter if they can't read one for the sewer. The reality is that they don't want to. I have heard of some people who have pushed the issue but with little success.

 

[mac]

About the only time that I've heard of saving on the sewer part is when negotiating on a new wash. Once they have your money you won't get any reduction.

 

[MEP001]

You save on the "sewer part" by not using as much water to begin with.

 

[ted mcmeekin]

Our sewer is based on water useage but our rate was reduced by 25 % when I requested a reduction and provided industry study. While that sounds good--they can afford it because rates are so high.

 

[Buzzie8]

Our sewer is based on water useage but our rate was reduced by 25 % when I requested a reduction and provided industry study. While that sounds good--they can afford it because rates are so high.

Where did you find the industry study. I have heard about it but never actually read it. If you have a copy it would surely be appreciated if you could email it to me.

 

[ted mcmeekin]

We used an ICAQ study. I believe you van get copy from them. I don't have one I could email.

Ted

 

[jstewart]

Is any type of reclaim better or should I say more efficient than others. Can they be used for self serve and robo washes as well?

 

[Dean Taylor]

There are a couple of reclaim systems that work well in self-service washes. Others refuse to reclaim self-service because contamination from illegal dumping can and will ruin the system. The way I see it, if it won't work in a self service, then it is only marginal for use in other applications.

I recommend a system with bag filters in a self-sevice application. That way if you do encounter contamination from someone dumping something, you ruin a five dollar filter and that's about it.