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Soparents
Citizen
Username: Soparents
Post Number: 111
Registered: 5-2005
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 4, 2006 - 7:09 am: | 
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I've just looked at my water bills... We USED to have faulty toilets which constantly ran. They were fixed ages ago. Our usage has gone down dramatically, but the bills are getting higher and higher Has the price of water gone up? |
SOSully
Citizen
Username: Sullymw
Post Number: 1213
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 4, 2006 - 9:04 am: |
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I don't know. I'll have to check my most recent bill. One thing is for certain....the quality of the water is still BAD. I wrote to the Commissioner of Water whatever but of course never got any type of response. Has the BOT addressed this at all? |
Soparents
Citizen
Username: Soparents
Post Number: 112
Registered: 5-2005
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 4, 2006 - 9:10 am: |
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I don't know about the BOT. I know that I only use the water from the faucet if it is boiled. or for washing clothes/dishes etc. All other water is from the water cooler. When I have visitors they cannot understand why I am adament they use the cooler, they are used to putting a glass under the faucet and drinking the water.... One of them told me i was being paranoid, then they tried the water....
I need to call and find out why our bills have gone up - I can't remember seeing anything about an increase...
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Howard Levison
Citizen
Username: Levisonh
Post Number: 526
Registered: 1-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 4, 2006 - 9:53 am: |
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e:mail sent to John Gross on the subject. No answer as yet.
Subj: Water Charges and Ordinance
Date: 3/24/06 12:46:09 PM Eastern Daylight Time
From: Levisonh
To: jgross@southorange.org
John, I would like to inquire about charges that the Village is using for water consumption as it relates to increases over the past billing periods and as specified in Ordinance 157-18 listed below.
It seems that there has been price creep without apparent notice. Also, I think the calculation in the ordinance is incorrect. (1 cubic foot = 7.4805 US gallons therefore the cost based on gallons yields ( 7.48 X 5.18 = $38.7464) in cubic feet.
Last years billing was at the rate $43.50 and now at $45.10 versus Ordinance of $41.18
Can you explain?
Thanks
Howard Levison
§ 157-18. Bills for metered service; water charges.
A. Metered charges. [Amended 6-18-1979 by Ord. No. 79-16; 1-25-1982 by Ord. No. 81-41; 6-28-1982 by Ord. No. 82-13; 10-25-1982 by Ord. No. 82-22; 3-26-1984 by Ord. No. 84-4; 9-14-1987 by Ord. No. 87-20; 1-22-1990 by Ord. No. 901; 7-23-1990 by Ord. No. 90-31; 10-27-1992 by Ord. No. 92-46; 9-26-1994 by Ord. No. 94-22 Editor's Note: This ordinance also provided that "the costs set forth herein will be reflected in all water bills applied in the first water-billing cycle for 1994 and on all water bills thereafter." ]
(1) Metered charges for water sold to consumers by the Township of South Orange Village: [Amended 9-11-1995 by Ord. No. 95-26; 2-26-1996 by Ord. No. 96-3; 4-1-1996 by Ord. No. 96-12 Editor's Note: This ordinance also provided that "the costs set forth herein will be reflected in all water bills commencing with the second billing cycle of 1996 and on all water bills thereafter." ]
(a) Cost per 1,000 cubic feet $41.18. [Amended 7-24-2000 by Ord. No. 00-19 Editor's Note: This ordinance also provided that "the costs set forth herein will be reflected in all water bills commencing for all water consumed on or after July 1, 2000, bills and on all water bills thereafter." ; 7-23-2001 by Ord. No. 14-2001 Editor's Note: This ordinance also provided that "the costs set forth herein will be reflected in all water bills commencing for all water consumed on or after July 1, 2001, bills and on all water bills thereafter." ]
(b) Cost per 1,000 gallons: $5.18.
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Soparents
Citizen
Username: Soparents
Post Number: 113
Registered: 5-2005
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 4, 2006 - 9:57 am: |
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OOOOOOOOOOH, someone is a lot more up on this than I am, I thought I may have been the only one who noticed!
I know its a long shot, but looking at the info above, if the town finds that we are being overcharged, will we get a refund?
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argon_smythe
Citizen
Username: Argon_smythe
Post Number: 810
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 4, 2006 - 9:58 am: |
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Yes price is going up and quality continues to go DOWN. It is not just bad, it is actively deteriorating.
Run some water in a shallow pan and cover it (to eliminate outside contamination) and let it sit for a few days and see what the bottom of that pan looks like. It will give you the willies.
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Soparents
Citizen
Username: Soparents
Post Number: 114
Registered: 5-2005
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 4, 2006 - 10:26 am: |
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Just the thought of that is making me feel queasy...
Not only are we bathing and cooking with that, we are putting it into our bodies and those of our children?
Who do I contact? |
jayjay
Citizen
Username: Jayjayp
Post Number: 555
Registered: 6-2005
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 4, 2006 - 10:28 am: |
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I sent to the President of the BOard of Water Commissioners the following letter and never got a response:
February 3, 2006
Ms. Gwen Hargrett-Wolfe
President of the Board of Water Commissioners
99 South Grove Street
East Orange, NJ 07018
Dear Ms. Hargrett-Wolfe,
I am a resident of South Orange and it is my understanding that you are the person to whom complaints of water quality should be addressed. The water which is supplied to us is exceptionally hard, such that it is ruining the plumbing in my house, creating hard scale in pipes, faucets, the dishwasher, etc. I have to prematurely replace a hot water heater as well. Furthermore, some in the family suffer from kidney stones which makes us reluctant to drink water with such a high mineral content, and forces us to purchase bottled water for drinking, thereby incurring additional expense. I urge you to take whatever action is required to remedy this awful situation. I look forward to hearing from you with an explanation of the action you intend to take.
Sincerely,
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SOSully
Citizen
Username: Sullymw
Post Number: 1216
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 4, 2006 - 10:30 am: |
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I sent a similar letter without any response. What a system! |
MHD
Citizen
Username: Mayhewdrive
Post Number: 3796
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 4, 2006 - 10:31 am: |
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For what it is worth, I recently had a water softener installed and now find the water to taste & appear MUCH better. As much as the salesmen wanted to sell me more stuff, they actually convinced me NOT to get an additional water filter as they claimed our water is SAFE, just very HARD. |
SOSully
Citizen
Username: Sullymw
Post Number: 1217
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 4, 2006 - 10:37 am: |
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I suggest that we all email John Gross about this (email above) |
Howard Levison
Citizen
Username: Levisonh
Post Number: 527
Registered: 1-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 4, 2006 - 10:49 am: |
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The high price of water is an indirect tax since the revenues flow back into the general fund. It should be noted that the higher price will be disportionate toward those who are high consumers such as Seton Hall who do not pay property taxes.
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SOrising
Citizen
Username: Sorising
Post Number: 234
Registered: 2-2006
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 4, 2006 - 11:31 am: |
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I heard that a lot of workmen were doing something at one of the water towers in town recently. Anyone know what? There was talk of using an old exchange in Newark to try to get better water.
Are we now paying for this because SO is so inept it is unable to get out of a contract with East Orange water it never should have signed?
What is the present status of the multi-year "negotiations" to get out of the contract while they stick us and a religious non-profit for more and more money? |
Soparents
Citizen
Username: Soparents
Post Number: 116
Registered: 5-2005
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 4, 2006 - 11:39 am: |
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Do we pay the same as the other town East Orange water supply? Can we find this out? Do they have contracts with towns or its just accepted that they supply our water? |
Glock 17
Citizen
Username: Glock17
Post Number: 457
Registered: 7-2005
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 4, 2006 - 2:06 pm: |
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Simple fix. Brita filter. |
wnb
Citizen
Username: Wnb
Post Number: 357
Registered: 8-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 4, 2006 - 2:29 pm: |
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Yeah run your shower through a Brita filter, no problem. Put a Brita filter on your washing machine and your dishwasher. Brilliant. Pennies a day, as they say.
I suggest we ALL do the experiment Argon described, take a digital picture of the result, and post to a thread here, then print out and send the whole thing through to the BOT and EO Water Commission. Maybe one or two media outlets as well. Who's game?
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Pdg
Citizen
Username: Pdg
Post Number: 800
Registered: 5-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 4, 2006 - 2:31 pm: |
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I called today because for the previous 3 quarters I was charged $4.35 per unit of water used, and this past quarter was charged $4.51 per unit - an increase of 3.79%. I was told that per the contract with our town, they were permitted to increase our per unit charge to $4.59 as of July 2005.
For some inexplicable reason, they didn't increase the charge until 2006, and they only are charging $4.51 instead of the permitted $4.59.
Last, I did ask what E.Orange was charged for the exact same water, and they are charged $4.34 per 100 cubic feet. |
Glock 17
Citizen
Username: Glock17
Post Number: 463
Registered: 7-2005
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 4, 2006 - 2:34 pm: |
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Be sure to put a brick or two in your toilet tank.
Oh the wonders you learn from the magic schoolbus visting the waterworks. |
Daniel M. Jacobs, PP, AICP
Supporter
Username: Conrail
Post Number: 105
Registered: 1-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 4, 2006 - 4:52 pm: |
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I think that the water sold to the City of East Orange is cheaper than that sold to South Orange because it has been diluted . . . |
Soparents
Citizen
Username: Soparents
Post Number: 123
Registered: 5-2005
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 4, 2006 - 5:01 pm: |
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Good one! |
jayjay
Citizen
Username: Jayjayp
Post Number: 574
Registered: 6-2005
| | Posted on Sunday, April 9, 2006 - 9:00 am: |
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Didn't Matthews or Gross indicate at one of the recent BOT's meeting that they would have an update on the water situation? I don't see anything listed on the agenda for Monday's meeting. Is this another "comng soon"? |
Just The Aunt
Supporter
Username: Auntof13
Post Number: 4655
Registered: 1-2004
| | Posted on Monday, April 10, 2006 - 2:47 am: |
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We ended up putting in a water softner because the water was wrecking the dishwasher, among other things. We don't drink tap water. Bottled or from the watercooler; even the cat! |
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