Remember this about water usage

In the Annapolis Valley Register, July 5, Dale Beugin makes several useful and important points concerning water usage.

One of his points concerns conservation. What he does not mention is that, to the consumer, saving water will do very little to reducing their water bill.

HRM (City of Halifax) residents were caught up in this discussion some time ago. The major portion of my water bill consists of charges unrelated to my direct consumption of this resource.

If I did not turn on my water taps at all, my latest water bill would be reduced by only 22.3 per cent. The balance consists of charges just to keep the water supply ready for when I do decide to turn on those taps.

Another charge on my bill relates to my waste water. 44.0 per cent of my latest bill consists of several charges relating to disposal of waste water from my property. This not only includes my waste that goes out my sewer pipe but, in HRM, I pay for the disposal of the rainwater that

falls on my property as well as the rainwater that falls on HRM property.

I should note the charge to dispose of my personal waste water represents 40.0 per cent of my bill. So, having water service but not using it would still cost me 42.2 per cent of my current water bill just to keep the infrastructure humming along.

Not using the service does not reduce one’s bill to zero.

G. Boyce

Dartmouth and Tupperville