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Thread: How to read a water bill

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
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    How to read a water bill

    i never gave my water bill much thought before since my wife generally takes care of it but i got a bill saturday that some how just doesn't make any sense. it looks like several items go into figurin' the "bottom line". Water,Wastewater, Garbage Coll, Res Drainage Fee, Recycle Subscription and Sales Taxl.

    Well, it looks like i used or consumed 47 somethings (gallons? quarts? acre feet?....i ain't got a clue 'cept it says i consumed 47 of what ever it is for $20.13.

    OK, next item is something i also consumed called Wastewater.....yep, i consumed 47 somethings of waste water...must've been the same 47 somethings of water than i also consumed.....'cept these 47 somethings cost me more! they want 24.48 for this wastewater i consumed. i wonder why wastewater is more expensive than water. something just ain't makin' sense!

    Then they got me for Res Drainage Fee! Charged me 6 bucks for that. doesn't tell me how much i drained, just tells me owe them 6 bucks for it and that it happened 'tween 16 oct. and 18 Nov. i guess maybe that's just a flat fee and every pays 6 bucks a month to have their water drained by the city.

    and then of course there's the recycle subscription for $2.48 but that's a self inflicted wound so i won't go into that......least ways not at this time.

    and finally the sales tax of $1.65. i hope that's just for the Water and not the wastewater and drainage too.

    Total...$72.24....and i got a feelin' most of it just went down the drain......

    anyway, anybody out there know the difference 'tween waste water and res drainager and

    why does wastewater cost more than pure killeen water?...mac
    Last edited by mac; December 1st, 2013 at 4:07 PM.

  2. LOL CenTexDave, Night Owl, Shotgun Jeremy LOL'd at this post
  3. #2
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
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    UCLA / Unknown Corner of Lower Alabama
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    As far as I know, that 47 is in hundreds of gallons.
    They figure that all of your water usage goes down the drain, so your waste water "uses" the same amount. Where that doesn't make sense is when you water the grass. But you could ask for an additional water meter for agriculture use, and that consumption won't generate waste water fees, or so I'm told.
    Drainage fees - have no clue.

  4. #3
    Join Date
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    That's pretty expensive water - in or out.
    more likely 47000 gallons.
    Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.

  5. #4
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
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    Precinct 205, District 3, Killeen
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    The city goes on the premise that a gallon of water used is creating a gallon of waste water without regard to how the water was used. It costs more to process waste water to EPA standards than to process that waste water taken from our lakes into potable water. The Drainage Fee is used to pay the salary of a Drainage Engineer and her/his staff. Their function, apparently, is to watch the water drain down the streets in into the storm sewers and do not much else. They have watched, despite my several complaints, their drainage flood my garage every time we have a major Thunder Storm in Clifton Park and I guess it must be they who call the KPD to put up the "Road Flooded" sign on the West-bound access road approaching Trimmier Avenue. That sign saves them from having to clean out the drainage there.

    Mac, I'm glad that you recognize that the $2.48 Recycle Subscription is a self-inflicted wound. How does it make sense for you to pay that for the privilege of recycling when it is the city who benefits from your hard labor? It would make more sense for me to have to pay a fee for NOT recycling.

    Just consider yourself lucky that they have not added a billing fee of say, $7.50 for the privilege of having the bill sent to you rather than having to come down to pick it up.

    This is a GREAT city. Just ask the staff...
    Last edited by Ludwig; December 1st, 2013 at 8:47 PM.
    "A boy cannot become a girl and a man cannot become a woman, not even if he shuts his eyes and wishes really hard."



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