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mandatory water use restrictions (UPDATED)
Due to continuing dry weather patterns causing low water levels in the James River, the City of Richmond is enforcing mandatory water conservation measures. Limits are in effect on how often residents can water lawns and gardens and wash cars. UPDATED 10/23: Vehicle washing is limited to one day per week using a hand-held hose with an automatic shut-off nozzle. Paved area washing is prohibited except for health and safety reasons. [via]
Established landscaping and gardens: No watering on Mondays.
Odd property addresses: Water only on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
Even property addresses: Water only on Wednesday, Friday and Sun.
(Odd/even designation is determined by the last digit of address number.)
Bucket watering (five gallons maximum) is permitted at all times.
New landscaping: Unrestricted watering allowed for the first 10 days after planting, then limited to the “Established Landscaping and Gardens” measures.
Vegetable gardens: Watering is limited to any two days per week and between 8 p.m. and 10 a.m. on any day. Bucket watering is unrestricted.
Washing paved areas, such as streets, driveways, patios, walkways, etc.: Washing is limited to two days per week. Unrestricted washing is allowed for immediate health and safety concerns.
Vehicle washing (commercial businesses are exempt): Vehicle washing is limited to two days per week
TAGGED: water
Is it just me, or do these seem fairly silly? Like, will that really make for less water use, or just water use on different days and at different times?
Why don’t we just change our water pricing to encourage conservation? Seems to me that would be a much better plan both in the short term and in the long term.
Daniel, I think I saw something fairly recently in the news about a restructure of the pricing system, not due to drought but due to the fact that Wilder finally noticed that we in the city have some of the highest water bills in the country, and urged the city to do something (and please, folks – if you don’t like Wilder, let’s keep this to WATER, not him!) I read it twice – COUNTRY, not among counties! Supposedly, part of the restructured pricing included a financial reward for conservation, eventually – I think it was something to be phased in over a couple of years.
To respond to your initial question – I have no idea if it actually saves water or not. I would think if you were watering your garden every single day, and were now restricted to three days a week, it might make a difference….
how nice of the city to let us know. I live in Richmond and had to stumble on this by reading some blogs (no, I don’t read the paper. No, I don’t watch news–local or otherwise. THANK YOU CITY OF RICHMOND!) If I remember correctly, Chesterfield Co–I think–waited a few days to implement water restrictions so they could put door hangers on doors. Richmond could have done at least that.
I read the same article. If I remember it right, if you use *no* water, you save two bucks on your bill. If you use any water whatsoever, it will go up at least three dollars per month. I love City math.
My parents live in the county, where they pay less than half as much as we do for their water. Which, by the way, comes from the city, through the same infrastructure that we are supposedly paying more to improve.
a friend of mine has been actively challenging the way in which we are charged for water. see the press release below:
Press Release: Richmond Greens Challenge Mayor’s Water Rates
During a severe drought, a 28% discount for Richmond residential customers using over 74,800 gallons per month is proposed!
Richmond’s minimum water/sewer fees to remain the highest of any city in the United States!
A new water/sewer rate structure advocated in a report submitted by Richmond’s Mayor Douglas Wilder would not correct Richmond’s inequitable residential minimum water/sewer rates, which remain the highest of any city in the nation. In fact, the report recommends that the minimum water bill be raised by an additional 19 cents per month while the minimum sewer bill would be reduced by only $1.03. The Mayor’s proposed minimum water/sewer service charge of $42.72 would be three times the minimum water/sewer bill of $14.05 charged by Henrico County, which purchases some of its water from Richmond.
The new water rates do not go far enough in encouraging conservation of this precious resource. Proposed during the serious Fall/2007 drought, the Mayor’s recommendation would offer a 28% high volume discount to those residential customers who use or waste MORE than 100 hundred cubic feet of water a month. By contrast, Henrico County offers a 38% discount for water and sewer customers who use LESS than 6 CCF per month.
Under the Mayor’s proposal, those using the least water will continue to subsidize customers using the most water. The city would protect high volume users from “rate shock” while ensuring that social-security grandmas, and those who use little water, will continue to be shocked by their high water and sewer bills each month.
The preposterous assumption is made in the city’s utility study that the entire fixed costs of providing water and sewer service must be recovered by the minimum water/sewer service charges to satisfy the preference of bond rating agencies! Imagine the uproar if the electric utility proposed recovering its entire fixed costs through its base minimum service charge — before providing the first kilowatt of electricity.
We urge the city to adopt a water/sewer rate structure modeled after Henrico County’s equitable fees that promote conservation. End the city policy of offering steep discounts for customers who use over 100 CCF (74,800 gallons) of water per month. Follow the lead of Henrico County and offer a 38% discount in water/sewer fees for those customers who use less than 6 CCF (4,488 gallons) per month. Cut Richmond’s minimum water/sewer service fees by two-thirds to match Henrico’s minimum monthly fees of only $4.65 for water and $9.40 for sewer service. Charge minimum water/sewer service service fees that reflect the actual cost of providing the service rather than attempting to recover the City’s entire fixed costs from the minimum water/service fees.
Let’s use the drought of 2007 as an incentive for Richmond to eliminate the high volume discounts for water/sewer service that do not promote conservation, and to correct the exorbitant and unfair base minimum water and sewer service fees that are the highest in the country. Let’s put a stop to forcing the customers using the least water to subsidize those who are using the most. Let’s follow Henrico’s lead by adopting an equitable rate structure that encourages conservation of this precious resource.
Henrico County:
Bi-monthly minimum service charge: water — $9.30; wastewater — $18.80 (Total Monthly: $14.05)
[billed once every two months, comparable to monthly service charge: $4.65 water; $9.40 wastewater]
Basic water and wastewater rates are:
$2.14/CCF; wastewater rate is $2.27/ CCF
If you use 6 CCF or less you receive a discount rate of 38%: water rate is $1.33/CCF; wastewater rate is 1.39/CCF
Current Richmond City:
Monthly minimum service charge: water — $17.71; wastewater — $25.85 (Total: $43.56)
Basic water and wastewater rates are:
Volume 0-100 CCF, water — 1.144/CCF; wastewater — 1.684/CCF
Volume 101-2000 CCF, water — 585/CCF; wastewater — 1.684/CCF
Volume over 2000 CCF, water — .467/CCF; wastewater — 1.684/CCF
Proposed Richmond City
Monthly minimum service charge: water — $17.90; wastewater — $24.82 (Total: $42.72)
Volume 0-100 CCF, water — $1.522; wastewater — $2.455
Volume 101-2000 CCF, water –$1.090; wastewater — $2.455
Volume over 2000 CCF, water — $0.997; wastewater — $2.455
Richmond Green Party is a local chapter of the Green Party of the United States (gp.org).
Contact:
Richmond Green Party Acting Chair:
ScottBurger, 804 714 5444, scottburger@mac.com
Hey Ben, thanks for posting that – too bad I can only see it here, why haven’t other media picked up on it? Style and Times Dispatch, local tv stations, among other things…or maybe they HAVE picked up on it and I missed it?
I’d like to see a whole lot more activism about this issue of high water/sewer rates in Richmond, and this is a great start.
I’m pretty sure I remember reading something in the T-D regarding the Green Party’s suggestions, which I most heartily recommend. Our family o’ four-plus-a-dog uses 4-6 CCFs per month, and I could use some of that money to pay to get my kids to school, now that the schools don’t bus out of district and my raise is going to pay for the mayor’s school-board eviction…
Ben, I am glad you posted that piece and I am also for convincing the city (and definitely the mayor) to decrease the costs of water and encourage conservation.
I’m also for doing the same to the gas company since I heard Richmond charges top in most of the nation for that, too, again without incentive for conservation.
Richmond’s gas prices are insane. Does anyone know why? Who is in charge of this and who reaps the windfall of the massive amount of money Richmond citizens pay in excess of almost anywhere else in the country? I lived in San Francisco for three years – supposedly one of the most expensive cities in the country. Sure rent is cheaper here, but with gas bills over $500 in the winter months- we are getting close to San Francisco / New York City cost of living.
please confirm. the rtd story said that residential water rates would be rolled back but the savings might not be seen due to a storm water management tax that would be added. “tax on rain from god” the mayor’s campaign included tax cutting but the practice has led to continuing the restaurant meals tax for an arts center, and now possibly a new tax on rain from god. go figure.
It is unfortunate that people don’t consider the impact their actions have on the environment. Just by doing the “right” thing, I think we would be in a much better place than if we had to force everyone to do extreme conservation. A website, http://www.wateruseitwisely.com, offers some ideas on how to conserve water (and save money)and offers solutions by region. The best tip: Do one thing each day that will save water. Even if savings are small, every drop counts.
So why isn’t there more public outrage from the citizens of Richmond about how much they are charged for water and waste water services? A quick check on the internet revealed that, in general, rates for water and sewage in the City of Richmond, Henrico, Chesterfield, and Hanover are in the same ballpark. The biggest difference is that city charges its citizens MONTHLY, and the counties charge their residents BIMONTHLY. The second large difference is the city base rate for these services is more than twice the rate charged by the counties.
I’m under the impression that the city provides (at least partial) water services to the counties, yet they are paying less than the residents of Richmond. How does that work? Are the counties in need of charity from the City of Richmnond (via the checkbooks of city residents through higher charges) or are the counties just more fiscally responsible? I am angry and confused but willing to be enlightened. Please help me to understand.
I agree!! But, I didn’t realize how much we were charged until this topic was posted!
Wilder says he wants to save the citizens money – well, utility bills would be a good place to start.
There is meeting tonight about the proposed storm water utility tax at the East District Family Resource Center ,2405 Jefferson Ave. from 6:30pm – 8:30pm. (See the bold text header at the top left of the page.) This is a City Council suggested meeting to inform and gather input from the public.
The City needs to have a system that rewards folks for using less water and those that work to reduce stormwater run-off. Planting trees is a great way to reduce stormwater run-off, but the City puts very little money into planting new trees.