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

[Matt1970]

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.

Fail again asshat. Chicago Water is Government.

 

[EagleKeeper]

Using more than 40K gallons per month? WTF?

Turn on the hose and let it run all day.
60 minute hot showers
Let the sink run while talking on the phone.

Until people realize that water is not free/easy; they will waste it.

Go live in a place that has drought or you have your own well pump or pack in water by the gallon jugs from a local spring when the local reservoirs require settling out for hours before boiling.

Then the value of water becomes ingrained.

 

[Darwin333]

Do you have proof, or are you just baiting. There is noone here that wants to see people hit with an illegitimate price hike. Though if these people dont like it they can:
Take it to the courts (they are doing that)
Get a different company/Move to get a new company
Get a well
Complain about how everyone with more money than them is out to get them (what youre doing)

Also, if 99% agrees with the 1% doesnt that mean that the 1% must be right and you are wrong?

Oh cut the crap, its the damn water bill. I have never in my life had an option of which water company to use and "moving" ain't easy or cheap. Your water bill is one of those things that you just gotta suck up and pay in almost every case. Hell, lots of places won't let you drop your own well either.

 

[K1052]

Fail again asshat. Chicago Water is Government.

Aqua Illinois is a subsidiary of a for-profit utility company and they do not get Lake Michigan water.

 

[K1052]

Turn on the hose and let it run all day.
60 minute hot showers
Let the sink run while talking on the phone.

Until people realize that water is not free/easy; they will waste it.

Go live in a place that has drought or you have your own well pump or pack in water by the gallon jugs from a local spring when the local reservoirs require settling out for hours before boiling.

Then the value of water becomes ingrained.

I think I found the problem

the Illinois Commerce Commission in February that allowed Aqua Illinois to base its sewer rates on water usage rather than a flat fee of $45.

Poking around on the web it looks like the company didn't have the money to replace aging infrastructure so they went to the ICC for rate increases. Apparently nobody at the ICC thought Aqua would double charge people for entire usage and sewerage fee (though sewer isn't metered) even for water that doesn't end up in the sewer. The only alternative for customers is to pop $3K for an additional meter for pool filling/irrigation/etc.

The ruling is now on appeal with the ICC and is thought to end up substantially altered.

 

[Darwin333]

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

all water is publicly owned

Not true.

Like the 3rd sentence in the article:

While it is legal to collect rainwater off of surfaces like roofs or tarps, property owners need to obtain permits before altering or collecting flowing bodies of water.

Now I don't know anything about the specifics of this case but I can definitely see the need for a law that prevents you from altering the flow of rivers and canals. What if someone downstream is also using water from the river/canal and you just damn the entire thing up. Hell, I can think of half a dozen reasons why a law like that would be necessary.

However, he was NOT jailed for collecting rainwater as you said.

 

[Darwin333]

That's a 200% increase, not 300%, OP. If it was two times what it cost before, you would say the price doubled or that it increased by 100% and you would be right. This is baby math.

Her bill jumped from $200 a month last year to nearly $700 this year.

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

 

[Matt1970]

Aqua Illinois is a subsidiary of a for-profit utility company and they do not get Lake Michigan water.

My bad, but like you mentioned the Illinois Commerce Commission recently approved a rate hike for Aqua and the customers in question use 40K gallons a month. That's almost 7 times more than the average family. Rage against the 1% not legit in this case.

 

[mshan]

They should call J P Morgan and get that interest rate swap (I forgot what actual financial instrument was; I think Frontline said it was that) that put Jefferson County, AL into bankruptcy (they upgraded water supply there).

I think it is around 21 minute mark of episode 4 here: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/money-power-wall-street/

Tappan Zee bridge into Manhattan needs to be replaced and will cost $1 billion dollars. To pay for it, tolls are supposed to go up front current $3 (?) to $14.

 

[dmcowen674]

Originally Posted by dmcowen674
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.

That is why utilities should be ran by the local government.

Time to dig a well and get your own water.

What makes water any different than oil/gas?

 

[Smoblikat]

Oh cut the crap, its the damn water bill. I have never in my life had an option of which water company to use and "moving" ain't easy or cheap. Your water bill is one of those things that you just gotta suck up and pay in almost every case. Hell, lots of places won't let you drop your own well either.

Must be the damn 1% making laws again...............oh wait, I forgot that the government makes laws, not people. Either way its a safe bet to blame the 1%, seeing as the water company was run by the gov and the people used an astronomical amount of water.

 

[dmcowen674]

They should call J P Morgan and get that interest rate swap (I forgot what actual financial instrument was; I think Frontline said it was that) that put Jefferson County, AL into bankruptcy (they upgraded water supply there).

I think it is around 22 minute mark of episode 4 here: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/money-power-wall-street/

Tappan Zee bridge into Manhattan needs to be replaced and will cost $1 billion dollars. To pay for it, tolls are supposed to go up front current $3 (?) to $14.

It was already $14 to cross the bridge when I was there last September.

 

[dmcowen674]

Must be the damn 1% making laws again...............oh wait, I forgot that the government makes laws, not people. Either way its a safe bet to blame the 1%, seeing as the water company was run by the gov and the people used an astronomical amount of water.

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

 

[Smoblikat]

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

I was referring to the guy who said regulations dont allow wells to be dug, and the fact that he probobly blames the "1%", whatever that means.

 

[Texashiker]

What makes water any different than oil/gas?

As far as I know, humanity survived for tens of thousands of years without oil and gas.

Food, water and a place to live are things we need for basic survival. Those three things should be at all times affordable.

 

[Matt1970]

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

But any rate hikes must be approved by the Government. "1% that control the Aqua water company management" Not found.

 

[K1052]

Tappan Zee bridge into Manhattan needs to be replaced and will cost $1 billion dollars. To pay for it, tolls are supposed to go up front current $3 (?) to $14.

Replacement of the Tappan Zee bridge is going to cost at least $5B. There really isn't much choice since the existing bridge is well past it's design lifespan (and the design wasn't that good to start with) and costs millions annually to keep from literally falling into the river.

 

[mshan]

IIRC, I heard those facts from tv news or car radio in passing, but obviously numbers I listed were way off. Thanks for corrections.

How many lanes are they going to expand it to?



edit: this website seems to indicate current Tappan Zee Bridge toll is $5 http://costoftolls.com/Tolls_in_New_York.html

 

[ElFenix]

As far as I know, humanity survived for tens of thousands of years without oil and gas.

Food, water and a place to live are things we need for basic survival. Those three things should be at all times affordable.

$600/40,000 = 1.5 cents a gallon. pretty affordable.

8-20-2012

http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2012/08...tomers-furious-with-skyrocketing-water-bills/

Aqua Illinois Customers Furious With Skyrocketing Water Bills

i like how you quote the article and leave out the important fact that these people are using more than 6 times the average and then blame ATP&N.

 

[K1052]

IIRC, I heard those facts from tv news or car radio in passing, but obviously numbers I listed were way off. Thanks for corrections.

How many lanes are they going to expand it to?



edit: this website seems to indicate current Tappan Zee Bridge toll is $5 http://costoftolls.com/Tolls_in_New_York.html

It will have 8 lanes (current bridge 7 total, 3 northbound, 3 southbound, 1 reversible)

There was talk of adding a Metro North line to the bridge but that would have taken the cost well above $10B.

 

[EagleKeeper]

i like how you quote the article and leave out the important fact that these people are using more than 6 times the average and then blame ATP&N.

Do you expect less?

 

[michal1980]

unless the rates posted online are wrong. Then the people quoted are just water guzzling monsters, or have huge leaks somewhere.

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 .

I do not see any sewer charges.

If there are no other sewer charges, then the 700 dollar month guy was using 176,825 gallons of water a month. (WOW)

If sewer charges = water rate. like they do where I live. Then he is using 83,331 gallons of water a month.

Its not a tomato plant his watering, its a whole block.

 

[ichy]

Lol, another troll thread backfires on the OP.

 

[michal1980]

Lol, another troll thread backfires on the OP.

it should also backfire and the liberal reporter that did the story.

Spending what, 30mins to find out what water rates, and average usage in the area is too much work for them?

Just a sign of liberalism in the media, that people like OP claim does not exist.

 

[TerryMathews]

Do you expect less?

Is it too late to send Dave to prison?