[alwann]

Until people started posting about higher bills, I never spent much time reviewing the statement. This month, sewer use cost caught my eye. I'm not sure what that is. But, apparently I used 8330 gallons of water in June and then sent 8330 gallons down the drain. So, we pay for water and then pay again to get rid of it. After which it is reclaimed and used for irrigation that some Villagers pay for again. Have I got that right? What a concept!

[retiredguy123]

That is not correct. Your potable water is used in the house for drinking, showers, and anything else you use water for in your house. If the water goes down the sanitary sewer drain inside your house, it is sent to a treatment facility where it is processed back into potable water. It cannot be used as reclaimed water before treatment. This process is very expensive and you are charged by the gallon, based on the number of gallons that is measured as potable water passing through the meter. However, if you use potable water from an outside hose bib to wash your vehicle or for something outside, it is possible that some of the potable water will go down the storm drain and it will not be transferred to the treatment plant, but it will become reclaimed water. You could argue that this water should not be charged the same rate as sewer water, but that is the way it is charged. This explanation applies only to houses that have separate potable and irrigation water supplies to the house.

Some houses, particularly on the north side of The Villages, use potable water for everything, including irrigation.

[Bill14564]

Water that runs down the sewer is NOT processed back to potable water. There may be some cities where that is done but any that I have heard of process the water to an acceptable level and then discharge it into a larger body of water. In the case of the Villages they must discharge it into special retention ponds.

The treated water, referred to as reclaimed water, is used to irrigate golf courses north of 44 and is part of the water used for irrigation south of 44. (Stormwater runoff is used for irrigation between 466 and 44). It is likely that the golf courses pay something for the reclaimed irrigation water but I don't know where we could find the rates for that.

Everyone pays a sewer usage fee for the potable water they use whether it goes down the sink drain after washing dishes, down the street drain after washing the car, or in the pool. This is not unique to the Villages. I believe the sewer usage rates are different for the areas north of 466 that use potable water for irrigation as well.

[retiredguy123]

To clarify, there are two separate drainage systems, the sanitary sewer drain and the storm water drain. You probably have round manholes in your street that are used to carry the sanitary sewer water to a treatment facility, and there may be open rectangular grates in the street to carry the storm water. The sanitary sewer water must be treated before it can be reused. If you use an outside hose bib to wash your vehicles, you are using potable water that you are paying to treat as sewage, even though it is being dumped into the storm water drain. So, to avoid this, wash your car at the car wash. Although, that may cost you even more money. Whatever you do, do not use irrigation water to wash your car. LOL.

[jrref]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

Whatever you do, do not use irrigation water to wash your car. LOL.

LOL