Irrigation costs

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

I spent close to $90 in irrigation charges last month.
Meanwhile the district couldn't get rid of it fast enough.
All that means is, I had to wash my golf cart a few times costing me potable water.
Rant Complete. :mad:

[Bill14564]

I spent close to $90 in irrigation charges last month.
Meanwhile the district couldn't get rid of it fast enough.
All that means is, I had to wash my golf cart a few times costing me potable water.
Rant Complete. :mad:

For 10/4 - 11/4 I used zero (0) gallons of irrigation water, I paid only the $11 base rate. Either Milton dropped enough rain that my irrigation did not run that month or the meter wasn't read correctly and somehow that was interpreted as no usage. My next reading is 10 days away.

In the months with the heaviest usage I only pay about $30.

For my irrigation to cost $90 I would need to use almost 18,000 gallons. I have never come close to using that much. Are you sure you don't have a problem with your irrigation system?

NOTE: I have a very small yard. A rather large yard might use two to three times as much water which could come close to 18,000 gallons.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

I used a little over 20k gallons
Premier home 6 zones
Funny thing is, last month there was no "current" reading on my bill.
I have used that much in the past. 26k in June is my PR

[Bill14564]

I used a little over 20k gallons
Premier home 6 zones
Funny thing is, last month there was no "current" reading on my bill.
I have used that much in the past. 26k in June is my PR

I have a current reading for last month but it is exactly the same as the previous reading so zero usage. I will be checking my meter and likely calling the office later today.

[retiredguy123]

I have a current reading for last month but it is exactly the same as the previous reading so zero usage. I will be checking my meter and likely calling the office later today.
My October bill showed zero irrigation water used also. I think there may have been a glitch in the billing system.

[Bill14564]

My October bill showed zero irrigation water used also. I think there may have been a glitch in the billing system.

Seems likely and that will be costly for some.

The rates change for usage above 7,000 gallons and then again for usage above 14,000 gallons. I don't use much but a double bill will likely push me above 7,000 and into the higher rates. For someone already in that range, a double bill will push them into the >14,000 rates which are almost 2.5 times the rate I'm used to paying.

10,000 gals would be a usage charge of $35.11
A double bill for 20,000 gallons would be a usage charge of $86.47
If no adjustments are made, there would be a $16 penalty for a double bill over two separate bills.

[Topspinmo]

My base charges when up which made my water bill higher.

[Bogie Shooter]

I had no end of month reading for potable water, turns out I had a bad meter.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

I had no reading for Irrigation or Water???
First time I remember that happening

[Bill14564]

I know there is at least one member of the NSCUDD board which covers my area who is on these forums. Hopefully, he will see this and look into the situation. I plan to be at the next NSCUDD meeting to hear what the District has to say.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

I know there is at least one member of the NSCUDD board which covers my area who is on these forums. Hopefully, he will see this and look into the situation. I plan to be at the next NSCUDD meeting to hear what the District has to say.

Please keep us in the loop Bill

[CarlR33]

I used a little over 20k gallons
Premier home 6 zones
Funny thing is, last month there was no "current" reading on my bill.
I have used that much in the past. 26k in June is my PR
I used 10K gallons but I was cutting back for winter. If there was not a current or what would now be a previous reading on your bill then a call to the department would be warranted to inquire why (cause you know they are up to no good, LOL).

[twoplanekid]

It's me!

Below is what I read at the last NSCUDD meeting.

"I enjoyed talking to the people from Neptune, Jacobs and Village community watch at government day about meter reading possibilities for use by NSCUDD using the new AMR readers that we will shortly be installing for our customers. The following are my observations from those discussions.

Jacobs felt that one of the most important improvements to meter reading would be to increase the frequency of reads to help with quicker detection of leaks and also the quick re-reading of these new meters that sometimes fail to be read. Jacobs would only need to check the meter if the re-read failed.

Neptune seemed to imply that their software could be used for quick detection of leaks if more reads were taken and that their software could handle many reads and then send the correct meter reading data to Village utility billing system. Their software has many features that can help to analyze the data collected from the meters.

The head of community watch seemed pleased to hear about the possibility of meter reading and seemed interested in adding services that his organization could provide to the community if they received some compensation as his budgets are tight. They currently pass by every Village house twice in a 24 hour period. So, he was initially receptive to this idea of using community watch vehicles to read meters.

With these things in mind, I would propose that all three of the above plus additional people that staff might suggest be invited to a special NSCUDD workshop early next year to discuss how we can best serve our customers interests by maybe increasing the reading frequency of the new meters to be installed in our areas of operation.

I could now give suggestions on the possibilities that I see but would rather wait to have all board members hear the same messages from these experts and verifying what I heard from them before proceeding with my suggestions. Please, let’s not wait 2 or more years to have this discussion to improve our service to our customers."

Even though we are installing new meters for NSCUDD customers costing over 20 million, staff still wants the meters to be read once a month for the next few years. I believe we should consider many options and change the meter reading frequency sooner rather that wait two or more years.

Rick

[CarlR33]

It's me!

Jacobs felt that one of the most important improvements to meter reading would be to increase the frequency of reads to help with quicker detection of leaks and also the quick re-reading of these new meters that sometimes fail to be read. Jacobs would only need to check the meter if the re-read failed.

Neptune seemed to imply that their software could be used for quick detection of leaks if more reads were taken and that their software could handle many reads and then send the correct meter reading data to Village utility billing system. Their software has many features that can help to analyze the data collected from the meters.

Even though we are installing new meters for NSCUDD customers costing over 20 million, staff still wants the meters to be read once a month for the next few years. I believe we should consider many options and change the meter reading frequency sooner rather that wait two or more years.

RickI hope when they say the new meter is going to be read more often they mean electronically and not manually? Makes no sense to me as the gas and electric Utilities have it down for several years now so no need to hand hold the new meters.

[Bill14564]

Please keep us in the loop Bill

It's me!

...


Yep, it's you, but I didn't want to call anyone out. Thank you for commenting.

Multiple readings per month would be much better than what we have now. Daily readings would be ideal if that was possible. HOWEVER, this only helps if the residents can get access to those meetings during the month.

The new meters can internally log activity to the hour or quarter hour. Regardless, a monthly reading only shows the end of the month value. While the additional information is available, it is not normally pulled from the meter. It is there but it does me no good if I can't get access to it throughout the month.

Likewise with the additional readings you are proposing - if I cannot get access to those during the month then they do me no good and might just as well not happen.

My next reading should be December 5 with the next NSCUDD meeting on December 9. I'll pass along anything I hear.

[Altavia]

With a Flume, you can monitor your water usage real time remotely.

It can catch leaks and broken irrigation heads/pipes.


Flume Water | Smart Home Water Monitor | Water Leak Detector (https://flumewater.com/)

But, I don't know if it will be compatible with the new meters. Compatibility list here:

Is the Flume device compatible with all water meters? | Flume Help Center (https://help.flumewater.com/en/articles/1618594-is-the-flume-device-compatible-with-all-water-meters)

[twoplanekid]

Yep, it's you, but I didn't want to call anyone out. Thank you for commenting.

Multiple readings per month would be much better than what we have now. Daily readings would be ideal if that was possible. HOWEVER, this only helps if the residents can get access to those meetings during the month.

The new meters can internally log activity to the hour or quarter hour. Regardless, a monthly reading only shows the end of the month value. While the additional information is available, it is not normally pulled from the meter. It is there but it does me no good if I can't get access to it throughout the month.

Likewise with the additional readings you are proposing - if I cannot get access to those during the month then they do me no good and might just as well not happen.

My next reading should be December 5 with the next NSCUDD meeting on December 9. I'll pass along anything I hear.

If we could take additional readings by driving down the street more often with the data collector device in a car or truck, it is my understanding that the data collection software would then alert NSCUDD staff and or Jacobs that a leak may be occurring. Action would then be taken by NSCUDD to check for a leak. No action need by our customers. Daily reads would be much better than one reading a month to help quickly find water leaks. I wanted to have a AMi system but the increase in cost was just too great. So, if we can have a hybrid system taking meter reading more often to then be closer to the best system which is a AMI system. SECO is now using an AMI meter reading system.

[Bill14564]

If we could take additional readings by driving down the street more often with the data collector device in a car or truck, it is my understanding that the data collection software would then alert NSCUDD staff and or Jacobs that a leak may be occurring. Action would then be taken by NSCUDD to check for a leak. No action need by our customers. Daily reads would be much better than one reading a month to help quickly find water leaks. I wanted to have a AMi system but the increase in cost was just too great. So, if we can have a hybrid system taking meter reading more often to then be closer to the best system which is a AMI system. SECO is now using an AMI meter reading system.

*IF* that was done then it would certainly be better than today. Actually, it would be better than relying on the homeowners since I'm not likely to check the reading everyday anyway. But given the reluctance of the District (VCCDD staff) to accept that the electronics in the meters can glitch, I'm not ready to trust a District-based detection/alerting/action system yet.

AMI would have been better but the study showed it would be more expensive and it would also require fewer workers. I would have been ready to accept the higher amount the cynical side of me says that was never in the cards. The more expensive, better system had the potential to detect leaks faster. Detecting leaks faster would reasonably lead to alerting the homeowner sooner, fixing the problem sooner, using/wasting less water, and saving the homeowner money. Of course, while this means less spent by the homeowner it also means less collected by the District. It may not be in the District's best interest to reduce the amount it collects, certainly not when it costs more to collect less. Also, AMI would not be in the utility contractor's best interest since it would take them out of the meter-reading business entirely.

[Birdrm]

$90 for irrigation only sounds like a lot of water, earlier in the year I had a leak in my system and was using close to 10,000 gallons a month and my bill was only $42 dollars. Now I have my system fixed and water 3 times a week my bill in down to $24 a month. Are you sure that there is not a leak if your irrigation bill is $90?

[DoreenH]

If you used your outside hose to wash your golf cart, then that was not irrigation water. All faucets, inside and out, use potable house water. Only the sprinkler system uses irrigation water. So, if your irrigation bill is abnormally high, then maybe you have a leak in one of your sprinkler lines.

[G.R.I.T.S.]

Us too. Got a new meter and they didn’t charge us for water usage.

[Dexterconfetti]

For at least 25 years in suburban Philly, our meters have been read by radio signal. No human involvement. Very accurate.

[dsattazahn]

Just asking the question, I have a home in Sumter County, I see the total water usage on my monthly bill, but it is not broken down with irrigation water? Is that just something they don’t do where I’m at or what am I missing? Thank you.

[retiredguy123]

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[retiredguy123]

Just asking the question, I have a home in Sumter County, I see the total water usage on my monthly bill, but it is not broken down with irrigation water? Is that just something they don’t do where I’m at or what am I missing? Thank you.
Ask your neighbors. If your house is old, you may not have a separate irrigation water service. The county where you live has nothing to do with it.