Mecklenburg Utilities customers their first chance to learn about and
respond to alternative water and sewer rate and fee structures that
could be proposed to Charlotte City Council in early 2011.
Water officials continue taking their first comprehensive look at
water & sanitary sewer rates and fees since 1977. The utility's goal
is to recommend an updated rate structure that is considered fair and
equitable among different types of water/sewer customers, while
generating revenues required to operate the community-owned water and
sewer system.
"To be clear, this is a review of how customers are charged for water
and sewer services they receive - not how much customers are charged,"
explained Utilities Director Barry Gullet. "It's important to hear
from customers. Any change in the methods used to charge for service
could affect residential, commercial, irrigation and other kinds of
water customers in different ways."
Last month's first set of countywide meetings sought public input
related to the existing water and sewer rate structure. This second
series introduces potential rate & fee alternatives - and impacts -
for public feedback. Details will also be posted online within the
next two weeks.
Come to a public meeting.
Fourteen community volunteers are serving on a Water/Sewer Rate Study
Stakeholders Advisory Group that will act as a sounding board during
this process. Red Oak Consulting, a division of Malcolm Pirnie, Inc.,
is the rate expert working with Utilities staff. A rate structure
recommendation will be shared with the Utilities Advisory Group, the
City Council Restructuring Government Committee and presented to City
Council for consideration in February 2011.
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Beware of Products Claiming to Reduce Water Bill,
Provide Free Water Quality Testing
Beware of products that claim to reduce water bills:
* Charlotte-Mecklenburg Utilities encourages customer to research and
verify before purchasing products that claim to reduce water bills or
remove 'impurities.'
* Customers can find general tips and alerts at the Better Business
Bureau web site.
Beware of false or misleading information about Charlotte-
Mecklenburg's water quality:
* No City or County staff goes door-to-door to sell anything. If a
Utilities employee comes to your door for water testing purposes, he/
she should be wearing identification and driving a white, marked City
vehicle.
* Individual tastes will vary and some customers choose to install
filters for that reason. However, tap water delivered to customers
meets and often exceeds all health and safety standards and does not
require additional filtration at home. Utilities conducts more than
150,000 water quality tests annually to monitor the safety of our
community's drinking water. It's conceivable - but not often - that
private plumbing issues could impact a customer's tap water quality.
* Tap water is not acidic. The pH scale ranges from 0 to 14. A reading
of 7 is neutral, with acids falling below 7 and bases above 7.
Utilities adjusts the pH of tap water to slightly above 7 to reduce
corrosion in water pipes.
* Chlorine is used in the treatment process to prevent waterborne
illness, while fluoride provides a defense against tooth decay. The
Environmental Protection Agency regulates drinking water and has set a
safety limit of 4 parts per million (proportional to $0.04 in
$10,000). In Charlotte, chlorine and fluoride levels in drinking water
are well below that safety limit at about 1 ppm.
* Water hardness is defined by the amount of trace minerals present,
such as calcium and magnesium. Water is considered 'hard' if it has
more than 125 parts per million of trace minerals. Charlotte's tap
water has an average of 34 ppm or 1.8 grains per gallon of trace
minerals, so it is considered 'soft' water.
Customers can get the facts from the EPA-required annual water quality
report that every city must produce and mail to customers. Customers
may also get information from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Hotline at
1-800-426-4791, or visitwww.epa.gov.
The safety of our customers' drinking water is the top priority for
your clean water professionals at Charlotte-Mecklenburg Utilities.
Customers can dial 311 or 704-336-7600 if they have a water quality
concern.
