the Cost of Municipal Water Service

Since I live in the city limits, I have municipal water service provided by the city. The service includes the water used in a residence, and the meter to measure it. I own my home, so I am responsible for the water past the meter. This means that I must pay to maintain the pipes past the meter, which is located in the ground, a few feet from the road. According to the meter reading on my bill, I used 3000 units (which I assume are gallons) in May. The fee for that is $9.01. This is about the same every month. I know that the rate changes after a certain monthly usage, but I have never gone over that limit.

The state of Georgia is still under water use restrictions due to the ongoing drought. Because of this, I can only water my garden and landscape plants three mornings week. I am limited to less than half an hours each time, and must do all the watering by hand, and not use a movable sprinkler or a sprinkler system. If the water restrictions were not in use, my water usage would be much higher in the summer, since I have a garden in addition to my lawns.

Be sure to check you home for leaks and running toilets or dripping faucets. If your water bill increases sharply for no known reason, check for these leaks.