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Old 12-30-2012, 09:57 PM
 
508 posts, read 889,620 times
Reputation: 232

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Good evening,

Hello. Hope everyone is well. I am a wee tad bit confused with respect to my current "Pittsburgh Water & Sewer Authority" bill. Specifically, I am rather concerned and downright worried about the astronomical cost. Here are my four (4) most recent bills:

$105.45 December 2012
$105.45 November 2012
$51.88 October 2012
$38.49 September 2012


Now, I'm fairly confident that there are no leaky pipes. I'm not using that much more water than I was in summer. Yes, I do plan on calling and if need be writing the "Pittsburgh Water & Sewer Authority" but before I do I'm curious to know if anyone else has had similar sharp escalating bills. Any advice or input would be graciously and warmly appreciated. Thank you very much and happy new year!
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Old 12-30-2012, 11:01 PM
 
Location: Pittsburgh
6,782 posts, read 9,595,436 times
Reputation: 10246
Quote:
Originally Posted by JayTwila View Post
$105.45 December 2012
$105.45 November 2012
$51.88 October 2012
$38.49 September 2012
It's been a very long time since I've seen a bill as low as $52 and I've never seen $38. Are you sure you aren't somehow paying back an existing balance?
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Old 12-30-2012, 11:04 PM
 
508 posts, read 889,620 times
Reputation: 232
Quite possible but I do have a habit of paying my bills when they hit. So $52.00 per month is really normal? I have a property in McKees Rocks and the West View Water Authority bills there seems far lower than what I am paying the PWSA.
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Old 12-30-2012, 11:16 PM
 
Location: Penn Hills
1,326 posts, read 2,008,263 times
Reputation: 1638
I know bills can vary astronomically depending on the municipality around here. We always pay an average of over $100 a month here in Penn Hills (was $350 I think for the last three month bill), and we're childless..
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Old 12-30-2012, 11:22 PM
 
508 posts, read 889,620 times
Reputation: 232
Maybe I am living in the twilight zone but whatever happened to $40.00 a month days? I mean I get they have minimum monthly fees even if you use 0 gallons per month. But doesn't it seem like $100.00 a month bills are a wee bit steep? I mean shouldn't electric bills be less than water?
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Old 12-30-2012, 11:29 PM
 
Location: Penn Hills
1,326 posts, read 2,008,263 times
Reputation: 1638
Not sure about your bills, but on mine, it's the sewage that's the astronomical part, due to some historical reason I don't fully understand (pollution fines, I think). I know it's definitely not something I'm used to, our average water bill in Portland was about $30 a month, and it was about $20 a month when I lived in Ottawa, Ontario. It's wild stuff, since even if we try to be as conservative as humanly possible about water use, the bills are still outrageous. We pay far, far, far more in a year for water than natural gas.
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Old 12-30-2012, 11:31 PM
 
Location: Pittsburgh
6,782 posts, read 9,595,436 times
Reputation: 10246
I think it has to do with sewage and efforts to put less fecal matter into the river.
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Old 12-30-2012, 11:41 PM
 
508 posts, read 889,620 times
Reputation: 232
Well, I just fired off a letter to the PWSA asking them to explain why my bills have escalated. I'll try calling them too. But my hunch is I'll get the bum's rush. I was hoping to budget for about $50 a month with respect to water. That's about what I pay for my electric.
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Old 12-31-2012, 01:25 AM
 
Location: Crafton via San Francisco
3,463 posts, read 4,646,466 times
Reputation: 1595
Here in SF, CA my latest bill was $50 for sewage and $30 for water. I live in a 2 bdr 1 ba townhouse with my two adult children. The city used to dump untreated sewage into the Pacific and the Bay. They can't do that anymore so I assume that's why it costs so much. Water rates get exponentially higher if you exceed the allotment for the number of people you have in your home. CA is prone to droughts so you are penalized for over-use. My gas and electric bill is typically $25-$30 a month in the warmer months and about $60 a month in the winter. There's no need for AC in SF as it rarely gets over 80 degrees. It's primarily gas heat that causes the increase in the winter. I don't have a washer or dryer in my place so it's heating, lighting, and small appliances that make up my bill. We also pay about $22 a month for garbage.
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Old 12-31-2012, 03:37 AM
 
Location: Pittsburgh
137 posts, read 354,100 times
Reputation: 77
Quote:
Originally Posted by JayTwila View Post
Well, I just fired off a letter to the PWSA asking them to explain why my bills have escalated. I'll try calling them too. But my hunch is I'll get the bum's rush. I was hoping to budget for about $50 a month with respect to water. That's about what I pay for my electric.

Jay, when dealing with bureaucrats, always use honey instead of vinegar.. They will smile at your face and then pitch your paper work in the trash if you get nasty with them, it's usually not there fault anyhow....
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