A while back, I got my water bill and compared it to the previous quarter.

I had consciously cut my water usage by 30% to see what the savings would be; I'd stopped watering my lawn, etc.

I saved a whopping 3¢.

three cents.

And that was the September bill in comparison to the one received at the beginning of the summer.

I decided then and there that conservation of water in this city has no merit beyond moral superiority. I'd rather have lawn superiority, because that's something that my dog and I can enjoy without being a smug asshat.

But I guess that's just part of the new "green" policies being enacted by city government: "Save water because you can be a smug asshat, not because it will save you even a nickel!"

For the last year, I completely stopped showering at home except on the weekend (I bike to work and shower there). I saw no reduction in my water bill; As in not even one cent.

As one who builds water systems it is useful to know just how much water you really use. A totalizer type water meter can be installed to check your water usage totals against those the city (or other water purveyor) provides. The cost to install this meter is $200-600 depending how difficult it is to install and whether you do the work yourself or hire someone to do it.

As far as I know the city (or other water purveyor) has no LEGAL obligation to present any water usage figures to the ratepayers, much less accurate usage figures. Same goes for power companies and power usage figures. Monopoly utilities also have no LEGAL obligation to charge every user the same rate for the same unit of water or power. In fact power and water rates often vary wildly depending on who gets what break with the other, less privileged, ratepayers paying more than their "fair share".

What's wrong with everybody paying the same rate for the same unit of water or power?

You are subsidizing people who are on the low-income water program. Households who qualify for the program pay less, and you pay more as a result. You're bill isn't going down because you are paying for all the poor unemployed and foreclosed people in the city. Hope that makes you feel better.

I guess it does make me feel better. But I wish it said that somewhere on my bill.

"Same goes for power companies and power usage figures. Monopoly utilities also have no LEGAL obligation to charge every user the same rate for the same unit of water or power. In fact power and water rates often vary wildly depending on who gets what break with the other, less privileged, ratepayers paying more than their "fair share"

This is untrue, at least as far as power goes. The PUC regulates private power companies (PGE, etc.); those private companies are required to (a) get approval for and publish a tariff, which is a schedule of rates and contractual terms; (b) only operate according to an approved tariff; (c) follow the billing rules. It is a LEGAL obligation and you can complain to the PUC if they are not doing so, and the PUC will investigate your claim and, if it is substantiated, act against the offending company, including with fines.

The fact that commercial, industrial, and residential customers are on different tariffs is a different matter. Each group tends to argue that they are subsidizing the others.

I went over to the Portland Water Bureau blog if for nothing else to even up the post/comment ratio.

I basically asked why they are asking for a 16% increase to $2.44 ccf and got the whole song and dance about how great Portland water is. Plus got told how much cheaper Portland is than the other communities CoP sells to.

I looked up rates for other areas for comparison:
Ashland - $1.60 ccf (301-1000 ccf)
Oregon City - $1.88 ccf
West Linn - $1.37 ccf
Bend - $1.33 ccf
Vancouver - $1.38 ccf for 1st 36 ccf

I can see why people drink beer instead of water at soccer games.

Hey George: Not all state-sanctioned monopoly utilities are regulated by the Oregon PUC. We are forced to buy power from an Electric Co-operative and they are specifically exempted from PUC regulation.
Electric Co-operative ratepayers have no such rights that you list and I challenge you to prove otherwise.

Of course this "untouchable" status invites all sorts of abuses and I will be happy to list the many abuses if you're interested.

I don't see the problem here. In setting billing periods, the "quarterly" bills could either be made equal by dollar amount used during the period or equal by billing period length of time. It is difficult to predict how much water someone will use. However, it is common sense that average people use more water more in the summer. So they are merely making use of a social fact to equalize bills for the average customer, which is a great idea IMHO. I fail to see how they are "keep[ing] the cost of 7 days of water usage for 180 days." Or am I missing something?

At least low income people are able to apply for a reduction in water rates without ruining their credit with utilities companies.

If they bring evidence of their income and other personal information to someplace like Albina Ministerial Alliance they can get an adjustment.

If they try to do the same regarding electric or gas bills, those companies require them to fall behind in payments before any reduction will be considered.

That's apparently the difference between a City-run utility and privately-owned, stock-holder controlled private utilities.

I also don't see the City of Portland's Water Bureau buying naming rights for parks, building floats for the Rose Festival Parade, sponsoring events at our expense or sending out mailers or running television ads to tell us what a great job they're doing. They also don't have a CEO raking in sky-high salaries, bonuses and retirement benefits.

Speaking of flushing, I recently read that the City is entertaining bids from businesses wanting to build the new loos.

Apparently the successful bidder will have to construct a duplicate of the existing loo for inspection by Randy and the crew.

If the prototype is approved, they will then have to produce a new loo about every 45 days.

I'm pooped just thinking about it! I'm really trying not to think of how the City employees responsible for the inspection are preparing themselves to completely test the new loo.

Isn't it all about funding "big pipe" and not really about water useage? Our house sat empty for the first quarter last year and the bill was the same as the previous quarter. I talked to the same nice lady who explained they have to "estimate" how much is flushed vs. consumed or used to water plants and bill accordingly. First quarter is all about flushing for big pipe since no one is watering plants. The more you flush, the higher the bill. Don't remodel and add a toilet as they'll just assume your spending more time on the crapper.

@ Britt: That's why I referred to private power companies in my response. PUDs and municipal/coops are member-owned and are not regulated by the PUC. In general, members served by public utilities pay significantly less for the same power than do customers of investor-owned utilities like PGE.

While, as a matter of curiosity, I would be interested in what you consider "abuse" by your local co-op, the best thing you could do with your complaints is take them to your co-op board.

Maybe the AG's office has a consumer fraud division that should be looking at this scam.

Not to worry about the higer water bills, folks....the lovely water people are just taking lessons from Peggy (Piggy) Fowler.

@ George: Electric Co-operatives are private, non profit corporations (NOT PUBLIC)organized as Co-operatives under ORS62. They are also state sanctioned monopolies that have the power of government but none of the accountability. Please check this out for yourself and then comment.

Ehh... I'm sure that if they take seven days now and give me back seven days later, it'll all come out even in the end... because the Portland Water Bureau (and their sophisticated revenue and billing management systems) have done such a crackerjack job over the years.

When the Water Bureau representative was asked what was going on, and replied, "This is the one time a year which the water department adjusts water bills", what she really meant was "Your guess is as good as ours."

This explanation doesn't make sense, and it sounds like the person you spoke to may not understand the billing policies.

This quarterly billing period is 97 days: since 365 days per year are not evenly divisible by 4, you are going to have billing periods that are not of equal length. I'm sure that when the water bureau schedules meter readings, holidays factor into the equation. For instance, on my latest water bill, there were four national holidays on which city employees would not be scheduled to work.

If you'll look at the back of the bill you'll see an explanation for winter average. You are actually getting a break on the SEWER portion of the bill if you use less water in the winter months. Your sewer charges will be based on the "winter quarter"; this may change in the 'winter" quarter in 2010. Thus if you have a garden or decide on superiority of lawn in the summer, you save some money on the sewer bill.

A CCF equals 748 gallons, the equivalent of washing around 15 loads of clothes, taking 15 baths, flushing a low-flow toilet (1.6 gallons) more than 450 times. While an individual household might not be able to significantly reduce their water/sewer/stormwater bill, if everyone in the community reduces water use, then the greater good of the community benefits.

I suspect that for most folks, the water portion of their utility billing is less than the bill for cable TV or cell phone.

I suspect that for most folks, the water portion of their utility billing is less than the bill for cable TV or cell phone.

Enlighten the benighted as to what that crack is supposed to excuse, minimize or otherwise obfuscate.

I'm sure clarification would result in "...the greater good of the community benefits". Or some similar, complete sentence.

I wish I could just buy water from the CoP and use an alternate provider for sewage. Sadly, they insist on selling them as a bundled service. Given their leave no contractor behind strategy on the Big Pipe, I have no doubt I am subsidizing plenty of waste, fraud, and abuse on that project.

I have 1.4 gallon/flush toilets, low volume shower heads, eco-friendly (front loader) washing machine, and dishwasher.

We let our grass turn brown in the summer and don't have a jacuzzi or a jetted tub.

Our last combined water/sewer bill exceeds $110/month (I'm sure it will rise in the summer) which is double what Comcast charges. We have tried to reduce our consumption of water, but it never seems to make much difference. I never even considered the possibility that the meter readings are inaccurate or fraudulent...The more you know.

Full disclosure - I work for BES. The Big Pipe is being built due to a stipulation order from DEQ, brought about in part due to local activists who tired of seeing sewage in the Willamette twenty years ago. The West side pipe was completed on time and a bit under budget; the East side pipe is similarly a bit ahead of schedule and a bit under budget.

The reality is, cleaning sewage is far more costly than pumping water out of Bull Run. Most people also don't like sewage pipes breaking in their streets, either, so maintenance, especially in areas where pipes may be nearing 100 years old, needs to get done.

JennGorasm - I do have to wonder about your costs per month. I pay about the same for the quarterly billing. You might consider checking for a water leak - sewer billing rates are based on water usage. Your bill seems very high, unless you have a lot of people in your household.