reading water and sewer bill

[taranwan.livejournal.com]

Hi, I've got some questions about the Somerville water and sewer bill, that I'm hoping someone can help me out.  Not the meter, but the bill. 

Specifically, I'm trying to find out:

What's the difference, if any, between what's labeled as "consumption" and "usage?"  Also, how do I read and use the usage tier chart?

Comments

[narya.livejournal.com]

The tier chart is probably trying to tell you that the first X units of usage are $x/unit, then the next Y units of usage are $y per unit, etc. I don't have one in front of me though.

[boblothrope.livejournal.com]

Tiered water pricing is meant to discourage people from using more than their share of water. But it screws people who live in multi-unit buildings (rental or condo) who share a single water meter.

It's analogous to charging higher tolls for carpool vehicles.

[mamajoan.livejournal.com]

Maybe usage is how much water enters your household, and consumption is that minus how much exits your household? in other words, water that flows into your bathtub (for example) and then back into the sewers is used but not consumed, whereas water that goes into your teapot and turns into tea which you drink is both used and consumed.

But that is 100% guesswork with no factual basis whatsoever. Honestly, I would recommend calling the city and asking. If there isn't a phone number on the bill itself, you could call 311 and get transferred.

[koshmom.livejournal.com]

See my response to tober below. Water that goes into your tub then down the drain is equally used and consumed in the eyes of the Water Department, since I doubt they check to see if the water is still potable (i.e. unused) after it goes into your drain. I think the inequalities are things where you draw water from your home and NOT use the drain: drinking water yet peeing in someone else's toilet, giving water to pets who pee outside, filling a pool yet emptying it uncontrolled into the city sewer system, watering plants, etc. On the other hand, your sewer system might have more outgoing than incoming if you have a dinner party and they pee in your toilet, or more significantly if it rains and somehow (a leak? a wet basement's sump pump?) the water from the rainstorm ends up leaving via your sewer system.

[tober.livejournal.com]

I am pretty sure that "consumption" is water and "usage" is sewer. For most residential users, the two are the same. Exceptions would be:
- You have a septic system (I'm unsure if anybody in Somerville still does - generally the law compels you to be on municipal sewer unless it's physically not possible), in which case you use water but not sewer.
- You have a separately metered account (not subject to sewerage fees) for irrigation and/or swimming pool filling. I am unsure whether this can legally be done in Somerville but in some jurisdictions it can.

[koshmom.livejournal.com]

Besides a "pool" thing, there's watering plants, and there's always a difference between what comes out of your spigot, and what goes down your drain. For instance: You fill a water bottle to drink while bicycling to work. Or you fill your pet's water bowl, but they don't use your toilet. Outgoing water is not equal to incoming water.

[tober.livejournal.com]

Well, yes, watering plants is what I meant by "irrigation" (if you have a separately metered service for that, which some people with sprinkler systems, at least in some jurisdictions, do)... and you're technically correct except that the trouble is that sewerage is not metered (i.e.- at least for residences there is no such device as a sewage meter, just a water meter). Because of this, it is assumed, with the possible exception of the two cases I cited above, that you do discharge as much sewage as the amount of water you consume. Is this fair? No, not really quite... but that's the way it is.

[chumbolly.livejournal.com]

They don't meter the flow in sewage lines, so while this interpretation of usage versus consumption makes logical sense, you won't save any money by peeing at work.

[koshmom.livejournal.com]

actually, you will save by peeing at work because your terlit will not have to refill after your latest endeavor in the little pilot's room.

[chenoameg.livejournal.com]

No one says you have to flush after every pee.