Water Bill Go Up? Here's Why

Several people have noted that their water bill was much higher than usual this year. The most recent bills were for summer usage; mine covered June 6 to September 13 and includes the bill for the water we used to keep our lawn green.

The Village purchases water from New York City who charges us separate rates for regular and excess water usage. It was previously explained to me that usage is allocated by population numbers and that each household in Scarsdale is allocated about the same amount of water that would be used by a family of four in an apartment in the city. Any usage above that is deemed "excess," and billed at $8.75 per unit, roughly 3.5 times more than the regular rate of $2.50 per unit.

The bills seem higher because they actually have increased. According to Scarsdale's Water Superintendent Stephen Johnson unit rates went up from $2.05 to $2.50 in April 2016, and this is the first bill for residents that is calculated with this rate. A unit is 100 cubic feet of water, or 748 gallons. Johnson also noted that it was one of the hottest, driest summers on record, which caused residents to use even more water to keep their lawns and plantings green.

Also in order to replace the aging sewer system in Scarsdale, the Village now assesses residents a "Sanitary Sewer Rent Fee" which is assessed at .65 cents per unit of water consumed.

According to Johnson, the best way to reduce this bill in the future is to calibrate your sprinkler system correctly and to check your sprinkler system for broken heads or leaks. Johnson also suggested you install a rain gage on your sprinkler system so that it does not go on when it's raining.

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