Routinely, Nikki Beavers-Glenn gets an Atlanta water bill between $75-$100 a month.
For the former Tallahassee resident,, her water bill is often more than both her gas and power bills.
“I have never seen a water bill this high,” Beavers-Glenn said. “When we were in Florida, we never experienced a water bill over $30-$40. When your water costs more than your lights and gas, that is unheard of.”
Now, things are about to get worse.
On Friday, the city of Atlanta will kick in its fourth – and final – 12 percent rate increase.
Janet Ward, a spokesperson for the Atlanta Department of Watershed Management, said the increase, outlined in a 2008 Atlanta City Council vote, helps the city comply with its federal consent decree to improve the water and sewer systems. Under then-Mayor Shirley Franklin, the council voted 13-0 to raise water rates by 70 percent over four years.
The city is in the midst of a $4 billion project to fix the sewers and curb pollution, which had been neglected for decades.
“This is all about funding the consent decree work,” Ward said.
So with Atlantans already paying the highest water rates in the country, their average bill will jump from $132 a month to around $150.
Standing in line in city hall this week to pay her bill, S.E. Ashe said she has had her water turned off three times in the last three years. Once, she said her service was curtailed when she even had a $75 credit.
“What they do to us is wrong,” said the life-long Atlanta resident, who has owned a home in the Summerhill section of the city for a decade. “How do they expect us to keep paying these rates?”
Ward said the increases now underscore the importance of conservation. The city’s website and social media sites have been encouraging residents to cut back on things like how frequently they water their grass and replacing toilets with low flow units.
Beavers-Glenn has been conservation-minded. Five people live in her Vine City home, yet she tries to get by with washing clothes every other week. Showers are less than five minutes. Dishes are washed every two days.
Those steps, plus several months of complaining to Watershed Management, have brought her bills below $200 in recent months.
“But now I think it is going to creep back up to $200,” Beavers-Glenn said. “I am just trying to make sense of it.”
How much will more water cost you?
Depending on your water usage, ratepayers fall into one of three tiers
Tier 1 (0-3 CCF) Rates Per CCF*
Water -- $2.58
Sewer -- $9.74
Tier 2 (4-6 CCF) Rates Per CCF
Water -- $5.34
Sewer -- $13.64
Tier 3 (7 CCF and higher) Rates Per CCF
Water -- $6.16
Sewer -- $15.69
*One ccf equals roughly 750 gallons of water
The average bill for a typical Atlanta ratepayer will go from $132 a month to around $150 with the new 12 percent increase that goes into effect July 1. The increase allows the city to remain in compliance with the federally mandated Consent Decree work to overhaul the sewer system.
*A base charge of $13.12 ($6.56 got water and $6.56 for sewer) applies to all bills, regardless of usage.
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