Why is sewer bill higher than water

On the other end, whatever water goes down any drain in your house is considered wastewater and is usually charged by the gallon. Some water utility companies will add your sewer charges onto your water bill and give you one lump-sum amount. Here are a few wasteful wastewater habits. The average shower dumps out 2 gallons per minute.

Doing your laundry can drum up quite a bit of wastewater. Every time you throw a load of laundry in the washing machine, you can expect to use between 15 and 30 gallons of water per load even if you use a high-efficiency washing machine. Some older, non-high-efficiency washing machines can even use up to 45 gallons per load! Modern dishwashers have become much more efficient, with most using between 4 and 6 gallons per cycle.

Though this might not seem like much, it can add up quickly if you are running your dishwasher every day! Unfortunately, hand washing dishes can also send a lot of water into the sewer. The average faucet dumps out about 2 gallons of water every minute. Reducing your sewer bill is simple! In rolling terrain, sewer lines must sometimes be built to cut through hills deep beneath the ground and well into hard rock.

Trench excavation — especially in rock - is the largest part of the cost of building a pipeline. The deeper the pipe, the higher the cost of construction. Another cost factor lies in where the two types of pipelines can be built.

Since sewers rely on gravity to cause flow, they must be built where grade can be maintained or pump stations are required to lift the wastewater so it can flow by gravity again. The District has 19 such pump stations to keep the wastewater moving to our plant. In addition, right-of-way may be acquired and cleared for both pipelines and pump stations adding to overall costs. The geographical sizes of drinking water distribution and waste water collection systems also affect costs.

Ordinarily, and because of fire protection requirements, a community will serve more of its citizens with public water than with sewer service. Even if you are using the same amount of water all year long, the cost for using that water will be more expensive in the summer.

If the weather has turned warm or even hot, you might be watering your garden or lawn more often. Find out if you are eligible for a leak adjustment. Sewer charges are calculated based on the water used during a given billing period. The rate for sewer service is significantly more expensive than the cost for water.

Any increase in your water usage significantly increases your sewer charges. The only way to lower your sewer charges is to reduce the amount of water being used. The cost for garbage and food and yard waste service is based on the size of your container.

You are charged for the service even if you don't put the container out for pickup. There are several container size options. If you regularly have space in your container each week, consider downsizing. If you regularly overfill your container so the lid doesn't shut or have extra outside of the container, you will be charged for extra garbage or extra yard waste. Depending on what you leave sitting outside the container, you may be charged for multiple pickups.

This is a relatively easy fix that only requires a short trip to your local home hardware store and a few minutes of work. Leaky faucet fixtures are another common cause of high water bills. The heavier the leak, the more water gets wasted, and the higher the water bill will be.

Thankfully, a leaking faucet is relatively easy to spot and fix. A simple visual check of your faucets, shower heads, and other fixtures is all it takes to identify a leak at the fixture. The most common cause of a faucet leak is a faulty rubber washer in the faucet handle. In most cases, you can shut off the water to the leaky faucet, unscrew the handle, remove the bad washer, and replace it with a new one. Not all leaks occur indoors. If you have an irrigation system for your landscaping, a line crack or loose joint could allow water to leak even when the irrigation system is off.

Finding these leaks can be a little tricky, especially if the lines for the irrigation system are buried out of sight. To spot these leaks, you may need to check your lawn for unusually damp patches or areas of grass that are more lush than their surroundings. Keep in mind, however, these signs of a leak are similar to the signs of a leak in a lateral line.