South Chicago suburb hit with 300% water bill increase $700 month

[spacejamz]

Is it too late to send Dave to prison?

I would settle for taking away his ability to create new threads....

 

[classy]

After reading the full article, this is fair.

 

[Pulsar]

You are such a disingenuous turd. You very carefully snipped out the part where the officials stated that the man would have gotten in no trouble storing in barrels or even cisterns, but creating village sized reservoirs that completely destroyed the natural water flow was excessive and deserved a penalty.

Reservoirs. Not barrels. Lakes. Huge lakes.

Jackass.

Do that and you will go to jail.

An Oregon man is sitting in jail right now for diverting rainwater on his property.

8-16-2012

http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2012/08/16/man-jailed-for-collecting-rainwater-in-illegal-reservoirs-on-his-property/

Man jailed for collecting rainwater in illegal reservoirs on his property



An Eagle Point, Ore., man has begun serving a 30-day jail sentence after he built three reservoirs on his property to collect rainwater -- an apparent violation of a state law that says all water is publicly owned


Gary Harrington has collected nearly 13 million gallons of water in his reservoirs (one of which is pictured below). That's enough to fill 20 Olympic-size swimming pools. But two weeks ago, he was found guilty of breaking the 1925 Oregon law against private water collection. He was sentenced to 30 days in jail and issued a $1,500 fine.

 

[Londo_Jowo]

40,000 gallons of water in a month? It would take me 5 months to use that much water. I water my lawn twice a week, water the landscaping/small garden daily, wash 4 to 5 loads of clothes a week, and 4 people bathing 1 to 2 times daily.

 

[Pulsar]

Negative, the water Company is a private for profit company.

With rates that are set by the government.

Liar.

 

[mect]

Do that and you will go to jail.

An Oregon man is sitting in jail right now for diverting rainwater on his property.

8-16-2012

http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2012/08/16/man-jailed-for-collecting-rainwater-in-illegal-reservoirs-on-his-property/

Man jailed for collecting rainwater in illegal reservoirs on his property



An Eagle Point, Ore., man has begun serving a 30-day jail sentence after he built three reservoirs on his property to collect rainwater -- an apparent violation of a state law that says all water is publicly owned


Gary Harrington has collected nearly 13 million gallons of water in his reservoirs (one of which is pictured below). That's enough to fill 20 Olympic-size swimming pools. But two weeks ago, he was found guilty of breaking the 1925 Oregon law against private water collection. He was sentenced to 30 days in jail and issued a $1,500 fine.

For some reason, I haven't been thrown in jail yet for my shallow well in the yard. Heck in Oregon, so long as its for a residential single dwelling residence, you don't even have to buy any water rights, just get the permit for the well. Granted, I actually don't think anyone got a permit when they put the well in in my yard (although it probably went in a long time ago), and I still haven't had anyone dragging me off to prison.

 

[spacejamz]

For some reason, I haven't been thrown in jail yet for my shallow well in the yard. Heck in Oregon, so long as its for a residential single dwelling residence, you don't even have to buy any water rights, just get the permit for the well. Granted, I actually don't think anyone got a permit when they put the well in in my yard (although it probably went in a long time ago), and I still haven't had anyone dragging me off to prison.

Did you illegally divert 13 million gallons of water onto your property? Do you really think your situation was even remotely similar? Or do you always make apples to oranges comparisons?

 

[EagleKeeper]

Did you illegally divert 13 million gallons of water onto your property? Do you really think your situation was even remotely similar? Or do you always make apples to oranges comparisons?

Dave is able to make such with a straight face; why deprive others of being facetious

 

[rudder]

My water/sewer/trash pick up combined bill from the city was $48 last month. We are facing a 10% increase... now I don't feel so mad.

 

[mect]

Did you illegally divert 13 million gallons of water onto your property? Do you really think your situation was even remotely similar? Or do you always make apples to oranges comparisons?

Track the thread. I made an apples to apples comparison to the original point, which was that the people bitching about the high water bills could put in a well. Dave made the apples to oranges comparison by bringing up the illegal diversion of 13 million gallons of water.

 

[michal1980]

40,000 gallons of water in a month? It would take me 5 months to use that much water. I water my lawn twice a week, water the landscaping/small garden daily, wash 4 to 5 loads of clothes a week, and 4 people bathing 1 to 2 times daily.

Its more then 40.

by my calculations looking at actual water rates, its between 80,000 & 160,000 gallons in a month.

 

[EagleKeeper]

My water/sewer/trash pick up combined bill from the city was $48 last month. We are facing a 10% increase... now I don't feel so mad.

I can drive our water bill up to $200/month if I activate water sprinklers 2-3 times a day for 10 minutes each.

However, our water is expensive due to scarcity in desert plains area.

 

[K1052]

Its more then 40.

by my calculations looking at actual water rates, its between 80,000 & 160,000 gallons in a month.

Minus sewer and supply connection charges it looks more like 50ish thousand gallons per month before the new rates went into effect. Still a shit ton of water for one house. They're really getting killed by the new sewer rate that moved from flat to being based off consumption.

 

[waggy]

wtf is he doing to use so much water?

 

[Howard]

wtf is he doing to use so much water?

Replacing the water in the pool instead of treating it with chemical agents.

 

[OutHouse]

how does one use 40,000 gallons of water? an average swimming pool is about 25,000 gallons.

 

[DucatiMonster696]

40,000 gallons!?!?!? no wonder! the first time someone is asked to pay their fair share dave complains!! go figure.

The price hike seems to indicate the true cost of their water usage according to the water company's statements in the article. Of which said previous water usage was not being accurately reflected via an older pricing formula according to the same water company. Now they may be right or it just maybe that their new formula may still be just as flawed as the previous one used.

However when you think about it a little deeper government subsidies have much the same effect as a flawed water usage formula that does not accurately reflect the true cost of consumption of resources by consumers.

When you subsidized a resource people tend to be more wasteful in their consumption patterns. Thus a non-subsidized pricing system that accurately reflects the actual market costs of consumption of resources in the marketplace will naturally force people into voluntarily conserving and provide them a more accurate informed picture of their spending/consumption habits via non-subsidized prices.

 

[Dari]

A 200% increase would be $600/month (200%*$200+$200=$600) It's a 250% increase (250%*$200+$200=$700)........ This is baby math.

You must've forgotten this part...

Kevin Burns’ tomato garden is now filled with weeds. He let it die when he got a water and sewer bill for $614, three times what it cost him last year for the same amount of water.

 

[Doppel]

40,000 gallons is about 2.5 24' above ground pools 4' deep, btw. If you're using that much each month something is wrong with you or your meter or your lines.

 

[Bateluer]

I am really curious what this guy is using 40K gallons of water for.

 

[Ronstang]

Do that and you will go to jail.

An Oregon man is sitting in jail right now for diverting rainwater on his property.

8-16-2012

http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2012/08/16/man-jailed-for-collecting-rainwater-in-illegal-reservoirs-on-his-property/

Man jailed for collecting rainwater in illegal reservoirs on his property



An Eagle Point, Ore., man has begun serving a 30-day jail sentence after he built three reservoirs on his property to collect rainwater -- an apparent violation of a state law that says all water is publicly owned


Gary Harrington has collected nearly 13 million gallons of water in his reservoirs (one of which is pictured below). That's enough to fill 20 Olympic-size swimming pools. But two weeks ago, he was found guilty of breaking the 1925 Oregon law against private water collection. He was sentenced to 30 days in jail and issued a $1,500 fine.

Dave, what is wrong with you? You honestly equate what this guy did to drilling a well? They are not even comparable. I am also a lot smarter than you and know how to do what I want within the confines of the law.

It depends on your local health authority, water right board, and plumbing code. Water access is not that simple, and down right impossible if they deemed the entire area/city water is not safe for human consumption.

That said. It cost around $11-12 per foot to drill in clay, and around $4-5 more per foot if it is through rock (pending the cost in your local area). Jet pump or shallow well pump are relatively cheap that can be had for around $500+. Deep well pumps can be in around $700-800 and much more pending the quality, HP, depth of well. Wiring can be expensive pending the depth of well and gauge of copper. And, don't forget the cost of piping, pressure tank, kill switch, and water treatment system if you needed.

It is not a problem at all. My neighbor across the street has a well as do 4 other people on my street. It is completely legal where I live. The only difference between an irrigation well and one for potable water is how deep you have to go. I only have to go 65 feet to hit water. A friend of mine used to live a few miles from here and he had a potable well. All you need in my area is a permit.

 

[CPA]

I'm sure 99% of AT P&Ners approve of this increase in profits for the 1% that control the Aqua water company management.

Go ahead 1%ers, keep it up.

Are you calling the Illinois government 1%ers? I'm not sure I understand your rant.

 

[Raghu]

I found a house on zillow 706 N 5TH AVE, KANKAKEE IL 60901-2210, thats served by aqua water.

I used the Aqua website to get rate information. using a 3/4 meter (service charge 19.31)
The have the following water rates:
Blocks From To Rate per gallon
1 Min. allow 22,400 gallons $0.005353
2 22,401 gallons 351,500 gallons $0.003627
3 351,501 gallons Over $0.002468 .

Wait, water gets incrementally cheaper as you consume more?

 

[Newbian]

Wait, water gets incrementally cheaper as you consume more?

Bulk rates.

 

[DrPizza]

40,000 gallons is 1333 gallons of water per day. That's over 55 gallons per hour.

That's a LOT of water!