$11,000 Water Bill

[ultrarunner]

How does an 8 year old thread get revived?

Easy… do a search of a topic and find thread and add to it…

I’m surprised there are not more especially when it comes to trouble shooting because a search may yield multiple threads for the same issue…

 

[ultrarunner]

Resolved see post 211

Post 224

If on city water it might be worthwhile to get a wifi water monitor which will trigger an alert to unexpected usage. A friend has one that straps to the water meter and it can tell if a toilet is running. He uses it to monitor the water usage in a second home half way across the country, though if it sees a problem he has to have a neighbor investigate the cause (like the time a plastic pipe burst in the wall) and turn off the water if needed.

Did know such existed… had vandals or kids turn on every backyard hydrant over a weekend before discovered at a vacant but ready rent house.

Water company adjusted the bill downward when I provided a police report…

 

[tradosaurus]

When I was in high school we lived in a neighborhood in Saratoga, California that was originally a huge orchard. Our neighbor behind us had a typical water tower with a well below from back when the orchard was active. The well still produced water. I asked the owner one day how the water quality was and he said it used to be great but he had not used the well for years and so couldn't say. I asked why he didn't use the water and he said the city would tax him on any water he used from the well and the cost was so high it was cheaper to buy city water. I always thought this was a shame.
Eric

Since this zombie thread is started, How would the city ever know how much water he used from a well?

 

[ultrarunner]

They meter it…

 

[etpm]

Since this zombie thread is started, How would the city ever know how much water he used from a well?

I dunno. Maybe if he used the well his city water usage would drop enough for the city to notice.
Eric

 

[5030]

The whole thing seems loony to me. My 'water meter' is the switch on the deep well pump.

 

[tradosaurus]

They meter it…

Who meters the well water? And why? I have a well and don't meter it.
How can someone be forced to meter it?

 

[Dftodd]

Who meters the well water? And why? I have a well and don't meter it.
How can someone be forced to meter it?

Thats a Commifornia thing.

Someone would get shot here in Arkansas if they came out and tried to put a meter on someone's well.

 

[Chilliwack Murray]

Who meters the well water? And why? I have a well and don't meter it.
How can someone be forced to meter it?

Here in BC (the California of Canada) the government is pushing well owners hard to register their wells in the name of safety and water management. The water management is a reasonable argument for deep farm and commercial wells but they seem to be targeting home owners with this.

Far more likely in my opinion the reason is to locate and identify wells then install meters to tax the well owners for use of ground water. Out west, that's how we roll.

In my case its a shallow well on the side of a mountain and has no connection to or impact on any aquifer.

 

[RjCorazza]

I've always been on my own well and septic. Ultimately I have paid for the well and septic installation, as well as maintenance and electricity. The state still "owns" the water as a natural resource, and I'm surprised they haven't tried to bill for private wells. I am not supposed to use any water from the stream that goes through my property for similar reasons.
They tried to enact a "rain tax" several years ago based upon the roof square footage, but my county flatly refused to collect it. It was a real money grabbing joke.